Diagonaldi Very well executed

Tetrady not as good as all the hype

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

namashi_1 Mick Jackson's Critical Darling 'Live from Baghdad' is an Awesome watch. A brutal look at Iraq during the Persian Gulf War in 1991, comes a film that's hard to forget. And Michael Keaton, One Of THE Best Actors in Cinema, Is In Top Form! 'Live from Baghdad' Synopsis: A group of CNN reporters wrestle with journalistic ethics and the life-and-death perils of reporting during the Gulf War.The Persian Gulf War in 1991, was a human-study. It was calculative, manipulative & aggressive. Robert Wiener, Richard Chapman & John Patrick Shanley's Screenplay is Taut & Unforgettable. It delivers a path-breaking story & uses a brutal history piece as its wallpaper. Mick Jackson's Direction is Razor-Sharp. Cinematography is excellent. Editing is good. Performance-Wise: Michael Keaton as Robert Wiener, is masterful. Keaton sinks his teeth into the part & performs with flying colors. Helena Bonham Carter is magnificent, as usual. Paul Guilfoyle is first-rate. Michael Cudlitz is quite natural. Lili Taylor & Bruce McGill are adequate. On the whole, 'Live from Baghdad' is Bloody Good! Strongly Recommended!

sddavis63 This isn't really about the 1991 Persian Gulf War. It deals more with the lead-up to the war, especially from the point of view of the journalists covering the period, focusing especially on the CNN team that was assigned to Baghdad. In a way, that's really more the focus. The movie depicts CNN - then a relative newcomer to the news scene - as it "comes of age" in a sense, the team dealing with putdowns from other reporters, having to navigate the maze of Saddam Hussein era Iraqi bureaucracy to do much of anything, sometimes being used by the Iraqis to get their message across and finally getting the story that no other news agency was able to get - being "on the ground" so to speak as the American bombing of Baghdad began. Although it was clear that the story of the CNN news team was going to be front and centre - and therefore it wasn't a surprise - that did somewhat weaken the movie, which at times seemed like a bit of a commercial for CNN. The story begins with a depiction of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and in its first few scenes offers a fair bit of colour as it portrays a Baghdad increasingly apprehensive about the potential of war. Michael Keaton did a decent job as CNN producer Robert Wiener, and David Suchet was totally believable as the Iraqi official with whom he mostly deals. Both characters are portrayed as playing the roles assigned to them (US reporter and Iraqi official) but they're also shown as tentatively stepping out of those roles to develop a relationship - even friendship - with each other. The story becomes a bit repetitive and mundane for a while (which probably is an accurate portrayal of the frustration Wiener and his team felt as they tried to do accurate reporting while bound by Iraqi censorship.) You develop a sort of "bring it on" feeling after a while, knowing that this is all leading up to CNN's coverage of the American bombing of Baghdad (they being the only network left in Baghdad to cover it) which, when it finally comes, is brilliantly and realistically portrayed.In general, the supporting performances were all very good, with perhaps the weakest being that of Robert Wisdom as CNN anchor Bernard Shaw, who seemed to come across as a bit forced in the part - although his shell-shocked meandering (during an on-air report) into the turkey sandwich he'd be enjoying at his desk in Atlanta if he weren't in Baghdad added some necessary humour after a rather heavy few scenes. As I noted, it's a bit too much of a commercial for CNN - especially the footage of virtually every other network talking about what a great job CNN had done and how CNN had "come of age." The cat and mouse game between the crew and the Iraqi government also gets a bit dry after a while. But for the ending alone as the bombing starts, it's good entertainment.

svs247 'Live from Baghdad' is a political movie in the sense that it asks very tough questions; however, its center lies not in politics but in people. It relates the story of Robert Wiener and his CNN team as they struggle to report the news from Baghdad in the six month antebellum period leading up to the Persian Gulf War of 1991. The team battles with tough Iraqi censorship, enormous political tension, and the reality of impending war. While still presenting the historical events of the time, Baghdad focuses on interpersonal relationships and intrapersonal struggles. Questions over the role of the media emanate from the various stories and struggles that the CNN team faces. The issues of censorship and propaganda, for example, plague the CNN team and their coverage. The use of the media as a diplomatic pawn befalls Wiener and his crew several times in the film. In many senses Baghdad is a media mood ring: different situations in the movie stress and display the various characteristics of the press from a governmental tool to diplomatic connection.The acting in this movie is superb. Keaton is a very strong actor in this film and in every sense epitomizes the gung-ho, balls-out attitude of the real Robert Wiener. In stark contrast, David Suchet, as Naji Al-Hadithi, presents the exquisiteness of his character with a sense of calculation and deliberation. He very much captures a cultured, borderline-aristocratic dignity that an Iraqi official in Saddam Hussein's cabinet might hold.The particular strength of this movie is not in the plot, the production or the characters, however--and in fact none of these really stand out as excellent--but in the broad questions it raises. At the heart of this film is the implied question as to the role of the media. To what extent should we censor? How much should we analyze? What does the public have the right to now and how far can the press go to get it? 'Live from Baghdad' is an incredible movie in the sense that it can raise these questions from an emotional and factual base.I give this movie an 8 out of 10 for its generally entertaining plot and tough press-related questions.

zensixties Michael Keaton and Helena Bonham-Carter do a good job and the recreation of the first Iraq war and the Bush fascism behind it is well done. We see the original invasion of Kuwait where Saddam stepped on the wrong toes, and the lead up to the incredible assault by Bush on the modern city of Baghdad. We saw the video game on TV, but not the devastation that lay in it's wake. Then came the US media blackout (which this film didn't cover) and the results of this unjust illegal war: hundreds of thousands slaughtered by Bush and his fascist forces all to keep the oil barons' and defense contractors' wives in furs. Then the assault occurred again some 12 years later by the Son of Bush continuing his father's murderous rampage. But this time NBC fired Peter Arnett because he told the truth...a no-no when you work for GE.