Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers (2006)

100% of critics liked it
(19 reviews)
82% of users liked it
(2,732 ratings)

Join documentary filmmaker Robert Greenwald (Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, Outfoxed) in assessing the damage done to average Americans when corporations decide to wage war. For critics of the current administration, the connection between the war in Iraq and the private corporations who… More Join documentary filmmaker Robert Greenwald (Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, Outfoxed) in assessing the damage done to average Americans when corporations decide to wage war. For critics of the current administration, the connection between the war in Iraq and the private corporations who profit from the fighting is plain to see. For those who may not be so easily convinced, however, Greenwald and company not only explore the questionable motivations of the corporate decision-makers whose wartime profiteering has affected the lives of countless soldiers and their families, but also the increasingly negative international reputation of the United States as a result. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Robert Greenwald
Genres: Documentary, Special Interest

In Theaters: Sep 8, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Sep 26, 2006
Studio: Brave New Films

Critic Reviews

David Edelstein, New York Magazine
In 75 harrowing minutes, Greenwald spells out why the war has been, for this administration and its friends, a windfall no matter which side claims victory and how many Americans and Iraqi civilians die.
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
If Greenwald can sneak this onto the air in place of this week's Desperate Housewives, we might start to see some changes around here.
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
A credible indictment against corporations currently enjoying windfall profits thanks to the Iraq war.
Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle
Greenwald is skillful enough to spark a fresh sense of outrage.
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
... Iraq for Sale has an us-versus-them sensibility that's extremely effective.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Whatever you might think about the centrality of the profit motive to our society, what's going on in Iraq is going to give you pause.
Prairie Miller, WBAI Web Radio
Legalized war profiteers make a killing.
Prairie Miller, WBAI Web Radio
Legalized war profiteers make a killing.
Louis Proyect, rec.arts.movies.reviews
Well-researched, hair-raising investigation of capitalist thievery in Iraq at the expense of the American tax-payer, the GI's and the Iraqi people.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Companheiro temático do excelente Shadow Company, o filme expõe de forma articulada a ganância pavorosa das grandes corporações, que não hesitam em sacrificar vidas e roubar o povo norte-americano com a cumplicidade do próprio governo.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Sure, it won't be seen by the people most in need of seeing it, but it might just energize others into moving away from apathy born of a sense of helplessness.
Marc Mohan, Oregonian
Robert Greenwald, the man behind a slew of recent political documentaries ... compellingly probes the intersection of the public and private spheres in the Iraq war.
David Cornelius, DVDTalk.com
As a film, it has its share of problems, but as rabble rousing, it's a first rate rallying cry.
Chris Barsanti, Filmcritic.com
there's an undeniable rage at work here which one has to hope would influence somebody of importance somewhere. There's always hope.
Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve
The doc successfully excoriates the role of private business in Iraq but lacks even a smidgen of Michael Moore's wit.
Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide
... crucial to fully understanding the Iraqi/American enterprise.
Valerie Kuklenski, Los Angeles Daily News
Iraq for Sale is one film with an agenda that maybe everybody can get behind.
Adam Nayman, L.A. Weekly
While it doesn't deviate from the snippy, newsmagazine format of its predecessors, Iraq for Sale stays mostly on point and on target, as Greenwald trains his sights on the ruinous consequences of corporate involvement in the Iraq war.