Henry Kissinger is an elder statesman of the American political landscape. He is respected by some for his work in developing ties between Richard Nixon and Mao Zedong, as well as his many fact finding and economic missions around the world.
However, there are many who believe he is a war criminal who should spend his remaining years behind bars and that he should never have received the Nobel Prize for Peace (a move that prompted US comedian Tom Lehrer to note that political satire had become obsolete as a result).
Eugene Jarecki’s film opens with the accusations levelled by Christopher Hitchens in his book of the same name, before embarking on a journey through Kissinger’s past, detailing his involvement in Chile, Cambodia and Indonesia. As the human rights issues increasingly take centre stage, Jarecki’s film is a timely reminder that no one should be above the rule of law.
