Standard Operating Procedure (2008)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Curtis L

  
  Errol Morris tries a different style in this one. The interviewees don't look straight into the camera (his signature shot), but it's also not a film about backwoods hillbillies or pet cemeteries. The subject matter is intriguing, and it's cool to get testimonies of… More
  Errol Morris tries a different style in this one. The interviewees don't look straight into the camera (his signature shot), but it's also not a film about backwoods hillbillies or pet cemeteries. The subject matter is intriguing, and it's cool to get testimonies of the prison guards in trouble. Yes, I believe they got set up for failure, and as brainwashed military they were just doing what they were told to do. However, could they be any more STUPID to take all those pictures? I think not. Hmmm...let's give a thumbs up and smile while standing over the dead body of a guy we killed. Real classy.

• Walter M

  
  "The fact that a person acted to pursuant to order of his government or of a superior does not relieve him from responsibility under international law, provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him." - Nuremburg Principle IV "Military intelligence is a… More
  "The fact that a person acted to pursuant to order of his government or of a superior does not relieve him from responsibility under international law, provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him." - Nuremburg Principle IV "Military intelligence is a contradiction in terms." - Groucho Marx Errol Morris turns his eyes from the top of the military command with Robert McNamara(currently burning in hell) in "The Fog of War" to those at the bottom with the riveting documentary "Standard Operating Procedure" about the documented abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in 2003. Per his usual style, he allows his subjects to tell their own story and possibly explain what they were thinking when they took the infamous photographs of abuses. My personal theory is that they were meant as souvenirs much in the same way that hunters would take photos of themselves with animals they killed. While expressing doubts in letters back home, Sabrina Harman said she took the photos as evidence while also appearing smiling in some of them. On one level, there was the standard operating procedure which consisted of bringing in Iraqi men of military age at random and softening them up for interrogation which included sleep deprivation.(The photograph of the prisoner standing on a box with his arms outstretched was part of procedure.) Even these procedures turned out to be useless in gathering useful intelligence. Then, there were actions which even the authorities thought went beyond this which included ritual sexual humiliation. A lot of this has to do with power, as the poorly trained and unsupervised soldiers as part of a herd mentality used it against those who could not defend themselves. The fact that they tried to hide what they did from their superiors proves that they thought they were doing something wrong. My only question: is how did the photographs get out? And one minor point: "Standard Operating Procedure" was distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. At one point, in the documentary two of the cameras are identified as being Sony. Since this might not have been necessary, there is a hint of product placement.

• Alec B

  
  Not easy to watch, but it is still one of the most important films of 2008. The film is tremendously engaging and educational. We only got a fraction of the story in the media, and Errol Morris' choice of just letting the soldiers that he could get to interview simply speak about… More
  Not easy to watch, but it is still one of the most important films of 2008. The film is tremendously engaging and educational. We only got a fraction of the story in the media, and Errol Morris' choice of just letting the soldiers that he could get to interview simply speak about their experiences in the prison gives it a whole new perspective. Morris, doesn't really take a stand about what happened other that the fact that the line between a "criminal act" or a "standard operating procedure" is not clear at all. Also, to say that this event was isolated to a few soldiers is a complete lie. There certainly were high ranking military officials responsible, whether directly or indirectly, and they have yet to answer for it.

• William G

  
  Morris uses surprisingly candid interviews to construct an essay on the painfully abstract nature of truth and intentions, the best and worst of which came to light in Abu Ghraib.

• Tobias X

  
  Errol Morris is officially the Kubrick of the documentary. The "director-detective's" latest visual assault is a kinetic meditation on the arcane nature of images in the digital age. Through his trademark craft --combinations of dazzling cinematic reenactments,… More
  Errol Morris is officially the Kubrick of the documentary. The "director-detective's" latest visual assault is a kinetic meditation on the arcane nature of images in the digital age. Through his trademark craft --combinations of dazzling cinematic reenactments, first-person confessionals, atypical theatrical scoring (Danny Elfman replacing Philip Glass here), and haunting interludes of archival footage--- Morris creates an expressionistic collage out of the media-circus that surrounded the Abu Ghraib scandal. STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE provides a buffet of food for thought through its many informative angles, but mostly through its compelling interviews with Lynndie England, Megan Ambuhl and Sabrina Harman (and countless others) about how those infamous photographs came to be and how they affected their lives. Errol Morris' dynamic observations become frightening dissections of how those unfortunate grunts, some mean spirited, some emotionally weak, and some just flat out dumb ass ignorant kids, sadly became scapegoats for military higher ups who encouraged and gave the orders for the despicable acts. Several elements made up the way those still photos were perceived by the media: their content obviously, the way they were arranged, and how some of the frames were even actually manipulated digitally. Morris inventively illustrates how a lot more than meets the eye went down that month in 2003. The most shocking and eye-opening part of this whole film for me is the sequence that highlights which of the photographed behavior was considered legal or illegal by the CIA. It really solidifies my understanding of how potentially subjective all images really are. STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE does not ask you to forgive these individuals but it does, along with Sabrina Harman's voice over renditions of letters she wrote home, put a depressingly human face on the whole Abu Ghraib mess. Already one of the best documentaries of the new millennium I've seen and Errol Morris' personal best since THE FOG OF WAR (2003).

• Keith M

  
  The great thing about Errol Morris documentaries is the simplicity of them. He relies on the story to inform and entertain. Here he goes deep to find out the story behind the Abu Ghraib prison. I know this wasn't spose to be a comedy, but fuck I was laughing a lot. These fuck… More
  The great thing about Errol Morris documentaries is the simplicity of them. He relies on the story to inform and entertain. Here he goes deep to find out the story behind the Abu Ghraib prison. I know this wasn't spose to be a comedy, but fuck I was laughing a lot. These fuck soldiers were just a bunch of fucking morons. Why would I feel sorry for them? These guys were like bad characters from a Happy Madison film. Rob Scheinder and Kevin James are "Soliders". It would make millions. Overall though it was great to know the whole story behind the photographs and how everything just got so fucked up there.

• cody f

  
  Stylish and interesting doc about a bunch of retard soldiers and how they got themselves caught torturing prisoners. Errol Morris always has great style and all of his docs are interesting and this one is no different.You try to feel sorry for the soldiers, but they are so dumb and… More
  Stylish and interesting doc about a bunch of retard soldiers and how they got themselves caught torturing prisoners. Errol Morris always has great style and all of his docs are interesting and this one is no different.You try to feel sorry for the soldiers, but they are so dumb and bitter that your glad they got caught. The military doing bad shit and blaming the little guy is not a new story, but these dip shits dug their own graves buy filming it. DUH!!!

• Grifty G

  
  One of those films that fills in the gaps of what you know about something that was all over the news. At first I thought it might be trying to sympathize with the prison guards, but as it goes on you realize that its more about how these people were idiots for what they did, but… More
  One of those films that fills in the gaps of what you know about something that was all over the news. At first I thought it might be trying to sympathize with the prison guards, but as it goes on you realize that its more about how these people were idiots for what they did, but ended up taking all the blame for things that were much more widespread and went much higher up in the military. It also shows once again that the military and intelligence branches are run by morons.

Read all 8 featured audience ratings