The Unknown Known Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Unknown Known Blu-ray Movie Review

Now you know Rummy -- or do you?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 2, 2014

The "unknown known" is described in the film, by Rumsfeld himself, as "things that you think you know that it turns out you did not." Semantics and word-smithing play a large part in The Unknown Known, a monologue-heavy Documentary from veteran filmmaker Errol Morris (Standard Operating Procdure) featuring former two-time Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld speaking about all things life, career, and controversy. At the end of the film, Rumsfeld bluntly states that he's not sure why he's agreed to sit down for the film, but the result is a good little modern history retrospective from a unique perspective and a one-of-a-kind interviewee with a front-row seat to history and a word or two -- or millions of memorandums worth of words -- to say about how said history was shaped through some of the most challenging, nation-shaping, and world-changing events from the past several decades. It's a political junkie's dream come true -- regardless of one's political orientation or thoughts on Rumsfeld -- but will ring hollow and dull for the crowd outside the Beltway or those who simply don't care about politics or even recognize the name "Donald Rumsfeld."

Mr. Secretary.

The Unknown Known is comprised of archival and recreated footage juxtaposed against Donald Rumsfeld in a static interview environment where the story of his public service takes shape. It's constructed around the many millions of text and voice memoranda he compiled while in the public sector. Rumsfeld describes himself as "cool" and "measured" as he recounts his career in the defense and intelligence sectors and rise to become the youngest Secretary of Defense in United States history. He addresses 9/11, calling it a "failure of imagination." He speaks on torture, the Iraq war, and his dealings with individuals in the Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Bush 43 administrations. The film also allows him some time to cover his personal life, including his education and marriage to wife Joyce.

The Unknown Known spends a good long while -- more than half of the film -- looking back over Rumsfeld's life, in his own words, before arriving at the "meat" of the matter, the months and years and actions and inactions following the September 11, 2001 attacks. Throughout the look back at Rumsfeld's career, the film becomes a rather intriguing portrait of modern American history, dating as far back as Pearl Harbor and traveling through the decades to the present day and the world-altering events of the past decade-plus. From Nixon's White House recordings to the end of the Vietnam conflict, from an assassination attempt on President Gerald Ford to U.S.-Soviet relationships, the film -- Rumsfeld -- paints a fascinating picture of the history surrounding his tenure. Yet most viewers, regardless of where they fall on the "love/loathe" Donald Rumsfeld scale, will perhaps not-so-patiently await the focus on Iraq that comes later.

Where the film succeeds both in the Iraq talk as well as in the contextual framing that makes up much of the film's first-half-plus is in Errol Morris' relegation to but occasional participant. Only rarely will the audience actually hear him talk. Instead, the film features Rumsfeld telling his story without much interference. When Morris does speak, there's a surprising feeling of engaging respect and camaraderie and even, at times, levity, between the men. Rumsfeld carries himself very well throughout the film, whether in its easiest moments or its most difficult. He proves to be an engaging personality that's capable of carrying a 100-minute narrative. He's quick on his feet, well-versed, speaks directly and intelligently, and plays to the camera. He's unafraid and confident, emotional at times but quick to remember details. He's certain of who he is, what he's done, and from where he has come. The only moment of uncertainty comes when he fails to find good reason for actually sitting down with Morris, but the end result is an engaging, though perhaps not exactly provocative, oral history of one of the most contentious men of the post-9/11 political world.

The Unknown Known Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Unknown Known features a superb 1080p transfer. The HD video source material translates very well to Blu-ray. Though there's really not much to it beyond archival footage, digital recreations, and shots of Rumsfeld in the interview space, it holds its own very well in terms of detail and color. The transfer captures with pinpoint accuracy the finest details on Rumsfeld's attire and skin. His facial coloring is natural, and the clothing hues appear balanced. Several random shots -- such as of shelves at a government archive -- are also nicely presented both in terms of natural, almost tactile detailing and coloring. Superimposed text is legible and sharp. Older footage, of course, comes with a host of technical problems but is presented to satisfaction in context. Light banding does appear in spots but hardly serves as much of a distraction. It's a classic HD image that's not really memorable in any way but that does uphold its end of the bargain as well as can be expected.

The Unknown Known Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Unknown Known features a fairly active DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Certainly, the track's bulk is comprised of Rumsfeld's monologue and Morris' infrequent off-camera oral engagement with the Secretary. The spoken word from both ends plays clearly and effortlessly from the center. Music is nicely spaced and smooth; the opening title music begins lightly but grows more aggressively, and does so with commendable stage command and presence. The track features a number of overlaid sound effects, from jet engines to explosions from the "shock and awe" bombing campaign that are smartly and naturally added for a little extra support zest. Overall, this is a well-defined and expertly assembled listen from Anchor Bay.

The Unknown Known Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Unknown Known contains a hodgepodge of bonuses, including an audio commentary track, a director interview, a vintage feature, and a four-part text-based supplement.

• Audio Commentary: Director Errol Morris opens by discussing the film's basis: Rumsfeld's collection of memorandums. He covers the title's origin, the symbolism of water in the film, Danny Elfman's score, Rumsfeld's smile, Morris' thoughts on modern history and the wars following 9/11, his thoughts on Rumsfeld's delivery in the interview, Rumsfeld's personal political history, and much more. Morris frequently only chips in to reinforce a point in the film, but his track is nevertheless a good companion piece. Recommended only to hardcore fans of the film.
• A Conversation with Errol Morris (1080p, 8:15): Morris discusses his purpose behind making the film, his first meeting with Rumsfeld, the "unknown known" quote, Rumsfeld's memos (or "snowflakes"), Rumsfeld's smile, the film's place in Morris' canon, and more.
• Third Annual Report of the Secretaries of Defense (1989) (480i, 56:53): A roundtable featuring Secretaries of Defense, recorded on December 1, 1989, from The Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, Tennessee, Produced by the Southern Center for International Studies and held in cooperation with Vanderbilt University. The discussion is built around "U.S. defense beyond the Cold War." It's moderated by Hedrick Smith and features Melvin Laird, Secretary of Defense for the Nixon Administration; Frank Carlucci, Secretary of Defense for the Reagan Administration; Caspar Weinberger, Secretary of Defense for the Reagan Administration; James Schlesinger, Secretary of Defense for the Nixon and Ford Administrations; Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense for the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations; and Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense for the Ford Administration (and, later, of course, the Bush 43 Administration).
• Four-Part op-Ed "The Certainty of Donald Rumsfeld" by Errol Morris (1080p): As the title suggests, a four-part supplement that's a text opinion piece on the former Secretary of Defense. Included are Part 1: Three Reporters, Part 2: The Known and the Unknown, Part 3: A Failure of Imagination, and Part 4: Absence of Evidence isn't Evidence of Absence.

The Unknown Known Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Unknown Known is, more or less, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in his own words, with only minimum narrative guidance, at least on-screen, from Filmmaker Errol Morris. This way, there's no muddling of Rumsfeld's own words, leaving the audience the ultimate judge on his version of past current events. It's an engaging film to be sure, more suited to political junkies but accessible to general students of history and those looking for a first-hand account of modern American history. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of The Unknown Known features superb video and audio. Supplements are varied and interesting. Recommended.