Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
A chronicle which provides a rare window into the international perception of the Iraq War, courtesy of Al Jazeera, the Arab world's most popular news outlet. Roundly criticized by Cabinet members and Pentagon officials for reporting with a pro-Iraqi bias, and strongly condemned for frequently airing civilian causalities as well as footage of American POWs, the station has revealed (and continues to show the world) everything about the Iraq War that the Bush administration did not want it to see.
Control Room is a genuinely distinctive documentary that offers a rare, insider view of Al Jazeera's coverage of the 2003 Iraq War, capturing the tension between media narratives in real time. Its novelty is high — few films have provided such direct, unmediated access to Arab media operations during a major conflict, and the contrast between US military PR and Al Jazeera's editorial decisions feels singular and urgent. The cinematography is competent vérité work, functional but not visually remarkable. The 'plot' as a documentary follows a natural, observational arc with compelling subjects like Lt. Josh Rushing and producer Samir Khader, though it meanders at times. The ending, arriving at the fall of Baghdad, feels abrupt and somewhat unresolved — the film stops rather than concludes, leaving key character arcs open. Overall a valuable and thought-provoking work, distinguished primarily by its subject matter and access rather than formal filmmaking craft.