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This film is what a documentary should be:

(1) It teaches you something. I think I know quite a bit about American history. I'm 47 years old, so I lived through the Vietnam war -- and I paid attention to current events. I studied U.S. history as a graduate student, too. Yet I still learned a great deal from this film, particularly about the second world war and the Cuban missle crisis. (2) It is well edited. Errol Morris did an excellent job of selecting the portions of his extensive interviews with Robert McNamara that best represented what McNamara had to say. It is clear that his subject was someone who thought carefully even as speaking, since the editing suggests that a lot of pauses were cut out to create a smooth flow of thought on McNamara's part. (3) The choice of archive footage complements the commentary very well, illustrating the point and providing additional information as well. Particularly chilling was the montage of photos and captions that Morris selected to show while McNamara was describing the firebombing of Japan during World War II. (4) While it has a point of view, the film does not hammer you over the head with it, a flaw that I find a bit off-putting about the recent spate of popular documentaries by Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock.

This is a truly outstanding documentary. It should be required viewing (along with the special features on the DVD)for anyone interested in U.S. military policy. If only we had paid attention to McNamara's lessons before invading Iraq, perhaps we would not be spending $200 billion and 1,000 soldiers' lives going it alone . . .

Maybe I have seen too many episodes of "Law and Order," but the unreality of the plot in this movie spoils the great acting and dialogue for me. Even allowing for the nearly half-century that has elapsed since this film was made, it is difficult for me to believe that a competent prosecutor would not have pursued the case as armed assault rather than attempted murder. Given the prosecutor's foolishness in pursuing only the tougher charge, it was irresponsible for the defense to turn the trial into some sort of "equal rights" forum rather than focus on her client's state of mind and true intent.

Yes, the dialogue in this film is "sparkling," as one reviewer writes. I love the back-and-forth between Hepburn and Tracy; they are truly outstanding. If I were voting for the acting, I would definitely give this a 9 or a 10. However, as an overall assessment, the lame plot choices make this a disappointing 6/10 for me.

I saw this film as a child and enjoyed it, but when I watched it again tonight with my children, I absolutely loved it. My two oldest daughters are big fans of "Pirates of the Caribbean." They immediately recognized Robert Newton's brilliant performance as Long John Silver as the inspiration for Geoffrey Rush's equally delightful turn as Captain Barbossa fifty years later. Newton steals the show with his characterization of the famous pirate, yet does so without distracting one from the story.

A half century has not robbed this film of any of its charm; it remains one of the great pirate films of all time. Grab a bowl of popcorn and fire up your DVD player. Treasure Island is the real thing!