Panama Deception Movie Review
 
1992’s Oscar winning documentary “Panama Deception” offers a complete 180 of the official U.S. government view of our surprise 1989 invasion of Panama in order to depose Manuel Noriega and restore “Democracy.” Here we are shown the bombed out cities and treated to a history lesson on U.S. Panama relations. While the U.S. media, quite rationally the corporate arm of our oligarchy, focused on the spectacular race to entrap Noriega, this doc shows that thousands of Panamanians were killed, mostly civilians and Panama was put in a police state-dissidents and press arrested and disrupted, a controlled media blackout, etc. Once again the U.S. citizenry is the cuckoo bird with its head in the sand thanks to our corporate media. The U.N., i.e. the rest of the world, condemned the invasion, which merited little mention in the U.S. press. Noriega it turns out was a long time CIA asset, collecting 6 figures from the U.S. taxpayers, but once in power he became less the yes man that we wanted to see. All along the U.S. ignored his drug running but it became a convenient pretense for an invasion (of course the new leaders continued the lucrative trade).
These Latin American stories seem to be all the same-we the U.S. do what we want when we want, and post-Vietnam, the press have become just another tool in the rallying cry for war (they were then as well, but the longer and bloodier that excursion got-well, hopefully you’ve seen the footage).
The doc combines the usual talking heads, historical and stock footage, as well as muckraking aftermath footage of refugee camps and poor homeless Panamanians. Contrast with the mainstream media footage of rich white (re: unbombed) Panamanians waving U.S. flags and applauding the invasion which left thousands of poor dark Panamanians homeless and dead. The doc style is high minded news, something that lacks from today’s low tech on the fly docs.
After giving the background to the CIA Noriega connection, the film focuses on those left behind-the high profile chase of Noriega has been well covered elsewhere, “Panama Deception” fills us in on what was left out and what the rest of the world seemed to already know-war kills, it is messy, and aggression is unjust, whatever the pretexts.
This was a short war to restore a democracy that may or may have not ever existed in the first place.
Like Sadaam Hussein there is no doubt that Noriega was a bad guy (though nothing near Sadaam) but the thousands of innocents dead or deposed from their homes will very likely take little comfort in his passing…they’re still poor, I’ve been to Panama. Oh, and if this review sounds partisan, unfortunately I’ve read too many well researched books on U.S. Latin-American relations to be dispassionate.
Story: The other side of the coin of the Panamanian invasion. A
Acting: N/A
Visuals: Good. B
Originality/Innovation: This looks like real news. A
Enjoyability Grade: I enjoy truth and power challenged. A
Overall Grade: Important to know as a citizen of the United States especially. A
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