Review: SOP: Standard Operating Procedure

SOP: Standard Operating Procedure is a film in which Errol Morris, the filmmaker, is an investigator analyzing the Abu Ghraib scandal. His intent is to make sense of the criminal charges brought about by the infamous set of photos that documented what exactly? In terms of the law, do the Abu Ghraib photos show torture or do they represent what our military would consider Standard Operating Procedure? This is one of the questions the film tackles and which, ultimately, illuminates a level of semantical insanity that could only reside within a military legal system.

Historically, there was a drive to turn Abu Ghraib from a basic, criminal, holding center into the Military Intelligence Interrogations hub for Iraq. This was driven by Donald Rumsfeld, who sent an interrogations squad operating out of Guantanamo Bay to Abu Ghraib to conduct a form of interrogation that was never approved (or known) of, by standard US military. With the approval of the cabinet members of our current administration, these newly approved interrogation techniques resulted in the death of at least one prisoner, or detainee, within Abu Ghraib. That no actionable information ever resulted from these Abu Ghraib interrogations makes for a historic tragedy.

It was within this atmosphere that some army guards and MPs began operating outside the legal bounds of what was considered SOP. Within the reality of Abu Ghraib, Morris shows how difficult it was to register exactly what was deemed acceptable. This does not excuse the actions of the convicted personnel and the film doesn't attempt to pull us in that direction. What the film does attempt to do is ask what the state of affairs were within Abu Ghraib that allowed these infamous photos to be taken. Morris seems to be making the case that the real crimes were happening outside the photos, and by all accounts, so long as they remained outside the photos they remain outside the laws of prosecution.

An Errol Morris documentary now carries with it a certain feel, regardless of the subject matter. He seems to have found a style and rhythm that's been present in at least three of his latest features. SOP has the same, quizzical, inquiring, tone that framed The Fog of War, Mr. Death, and in some ways, even Fast, Cheap, Out of Control. The score is by Danny Elfman, rather than Philip Glass or Caleb Sampson, but sounds more like a standard composed by Morris. All three composers have scored films for Morris and yet the films tend to have a unifying movement to them. Much like a script written by Quentin Tarantino or Richard Price, I always thought I could identify an Elfman score. Not so this time.

The film itself feels like it has just tapped the issue, and that there is a lifetime's worth of research and documentation to be had outside the frame of the Abu Ghraib photos. I'm sure this incident will be one of many recent US endeavors that students, pundits, and historians will devote papers, books, and even lives, to studying. What Morris has done is clarify what the General Issue Joe experienced. What the viewers are likely to come away with is more questions arising from the answers that are found within the frame of the film.

Grade: A-

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