Fahrenheit 9/11

Michael Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 911 delves into the events leading up to the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Moore also explores the reaction of George W. Bush's government to the attacks, seeking to answer the question of why the Saudi Arabian connection to the attack was not further investigated.

Moore examines how, in the aftermath of the attacks, the government capitalized on citizens' fear and confusion to pass the Patriot Act, which infringes on basic human rights and used this fear to pursue the war in Iraq.

The title is adapted from a Ray Bradbury novel entitled Fahrenheit 451, which details a dystopian future where people are discouraged from seeking knowledge.

Fast Facts

1. Written and directed by Michael Moore
2. Won the Palme d'Or at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival
3. Released: June 25, 2004
4. Running Time 122 Minutes
5. Rated R

Quotes

1. "It turns out that the White House approved planes to pick up the bin Ladens and numerous other Saudis. At least six private jets and nearly two dozen commercial planes carried the Saudis and the Bin Ladens out of the U.S. after September 13th. In all, 142 Saudis, including 24 members of the bin Laden family, were allowed to leave the country."
2. "As Bush sat in that Florida classroom, was he wondering if maybe he should have shown up to work more often? Should he have held at least one meeting since taking office to discuss the threat of terrorism with his head of counter terrorism? Or maybe Mr. Bush was wondering why he had cut terrorism funding from the FBI. Or perhaps he just should have read the security briefing that was given to him on August 6, 2001 that said that Osama bin Laden was planning to attack America by hijacking airplanes. Or maybe he wasn't worried about the terrorist threat because the title of the report was too vague."

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