The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert McNamara (2003): directed by Errol Morris; starring Errol Morris and Robert McNamara as themselves: Errol Morris pretty much just puts a camera on Kennedy/LBJ Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and interviews him several times. It's fascinating stuff as McNamara wrestles with his failures in Viet Nam, excusing some by noting that LBJ wouldn't listen to him sometimes while owning others.
We don't learn much about his private life (though Morris includes a scene in which McNamara discusses not discussing sensitive issues from his private life). We certainly learn about McNamara's theories on the rights and wrongs of war ('proportionality' is a key idea) as we survey his career, structured along those 11 lessons noted in the sub-title. Nor Morris' greatest documentary, but probably an essential one for anyone who wants to understand the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Highly recommended.
The Last Detective (Elvis Cole and Joe Pike #9) (2003) by Robert Crais: LA private detective Elvis Cole and occasional partner Joe Pike deal with a problem close to home this time after the son of Cole's girlfriend is abducted from outside Cole's house by someone who claims to have a grudge against Cole for something that happened during Cole's Tour of Duty in Viet Nam.
The mystery plays pretty much fair this time out, though the reader will probably know what's really happened before Cole and Pike. As with many Cole/Pike adventures, this one ends with a violent, cinematic, and thrillingly choreographed action sequence. It's Hardboiled Action in the Mighty Crais Manner! It's all fun and diverting, if a bit shallow. Recommended.
Taken (Elvis Cole and Joe Pike #15) (2012) by Robert Crais: LA private detective Elvis Cole and occasional partner Joe Pike again deal with a problem close to home as a kidnapping case suddenly results in Cole himself being kidnapped. Mighty, laconic Joe Pike springs into action with the help of nearly-as-mighty good-mercenary Jon Stone as the clock ticks on the lifespans of Cole and the young couple he was searching for.
The set-up for Taken is really interesting. The logistics and practice of illegal immigrant trafficking on the U.S.-Mexico border come in for scrutiny. Real-life horrors are exposed, along with real-life hypocrisies. Pike and Stone make the world's most competent rescue team.
Taken is also Robert Crais' most complex novel from a structural standpoint. Several narratives running at different times and with different POV's converge at the climax, seamlessly. It's really a triumph of plot. Recommended.
