Former corporate whiz kid Robert McNamara was the controversial Secretary of Defense in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, during the height of the Vietnam War. Augmented by archival footage and cabinet conversation recordings, Errol Morris gives the conflicted McNamara a platform on which he attempts to confront his and the U.S. government's actions in Southeast Asia in light of the horrors of modern warfare, the end of ideology and the punitive judgment of history.

The Fog of War (2003)

★ 7.7/10 October 26, 2003 107 min

Documentary

Director: Errol Morris

Former corporate whiz kid Robert McNamara was the controversial Secretary of Defense in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, during the height of the Vietnam War. Augmented by archival footage and cabinet conversation recordings, Errol Morris gives the conflicted McNamara a platform on which he attempts to confront his and the U.S. government's actions in Southeast Asia in light of the horrors of modern warfare, the end of ideology and the punitive judgment of history.

Where to watch

Howdy Amazon Channel Amazon Video Apple TV Store Google Play Movies YouTube Fandango At Home Amazon Video Apple TV Store Google Play Movies YouTube Fandango At Home

Trailer

Director

Errol Morris

Cast

Robert McNamara Self Errol Morris Self (uncredited) Fidel Castro Self (archive footage) (uncredited) Barry Goldwater Self (archive footage) (uncredited) John F. Kennedy Self (archive footage) (uncredited) Nikita Khrushchev Self (archive footage) (uncredited) Curtis LeMay Self (archive footage) (uncredited) Richard Nixon Self (archive footage) (uncredited) Harry Reasoner Self (archive footage) (uncredited) Franklin D. Roosevelt Self (voice) (archive footage) (uncredited) Woodrow Wilson Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

User Reviews (1)

db September 3, 2026

★ 10/10

Whether you love him or hate him, agree with him or disagree with him... it's a stunningly compelling conversation.