The Unknown Known review

But at least it's known the known is unknown...

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The gloves are off, as America’s foremost documentary filmmaker Errol Morris (sorry Michael Moore) gets in the ring with former US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

In office during 9/11 and the subsequent Iraq war and invasion of Afghanistan, Rumsfeld has, depending on your politics, a lot to answer for.

Morris is no newbie, having taken on Rumsfeld’s decades-past predecessor Robert McNamara in Oscar winner The Fog Of War , which also saw its subject get a to-camera grilling.

But Rumsfeld is slipperier than a tank of eels (the title itself comes from his own brain-bending double-speak), frequently bobbing and weaving around Morris’ oft-ineffectual jabs.

Fascinating and frustrating.

Freelance writer

James Mottram is a freelance film journalist, author of books that dive deep into films like Die Hard and Tenet, and a regular guest on the Total Film podcast. You'll find his writings on 12DOVE and Total Film, and in newspapers and magazines from across the world like The Times, The Independent, The i, Metro, The National, Marie Claire, and MindFood.