Review – Path to War

HBO presents the battle for Lyndon Johnson’s soul between Robert McNamara and Clark Clifford. The movie follows LBJ and his closest confidantes from the inaugural ball in 1965 to the President’s announcement that he wouldn’t run in 1968. As a result, much of the drama centers around McNamara and Clifford flip-flopping back and forth on the wisdom of continuing U.S. involvement in Vietnam. This isn’t exactly the height of John Frankenheimer’s directorial prowess. If nothing else, it’s a bit too full of Hollywood conceits, such as the implication that McNamara began to doubt the wisdom of the bombing campaign primarily as a result of witnessing Norman Morrison’s suicide (even if it’s true, it’s too theatrical an explanation). But the production is well crafted, and Alec Baldwin and Donald Sutherland do workmanlike jobs in their roles. Overall if 60s-era political intrigue entertains you then you’ll probably get a kick out of this effort. Mildly amusing