W

JUST how did a man like George W. Bush become the leader of the free world?
It’s been the question on people’s lips since the turn of the millennia as the world has slowly come to terms with a disastrous presidency.
With Bush’s eight-year reign due to come to a close in January, it is the perfect time for a film like ‘W’.
Not overtly political like Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, seasoned director Oliver Stone offers dramatised take on the life of the 43rd President of the USA, with Josh Brolin excellently portraying the bumbling leader.
Jutting between Bush’s early years and the post-9/11 meetings discussing going to war with Iraq, you get a good overall impression of the man’s life.

You see his transition from college cool guy to struggling worker to successful businessman to reluctant politician, with periods of him feeling hopelessly lost in between.
Fast forward to the presidential crisis talks and you see a leader who is on the periphery of his own meetings, easily influenced by his aides and more concerned with keeping egos in check, than the fallout of foreign policy decisions.
Despite Colin Powell (Jeffrey Wright) doing his utmost to persuade the President that the war is unjustified, Bush is adamant that he wants to ‘kick the ass’ of those who tried to kill his father.
In fact, Bush’s father (James Cromwell) is the overriding theme in both parts of the story. W is completely overshadowed by the former president and is stuck between his desire to be his own man and his obligation to continue the Bush legacy.
More sympathetic than critical, Stone’s ‘W’ offers a deep insight into a shallow man.