'The U.S. vs. John Lennon' Review

Tonight I saw 'The U.S. vs. John Lennon' with a couple friends. The film is a documentary about the American government's targeting of John Lennon in the years of the Vietnam War. It is in no way a biopic of Lennon's music or The Beatles. In fact, the names of the other three Beatles are never even mentioned. Lennon's early life is flown threw in probably ten minutes, highlighting only events that pertain to his 'rebel ways'.

The bulk of the film deals with the late 1960s and early 70s. It is interesting to see a side of Lennon not usually portrayed, which is his anti-war activism and just how involved he was in the fight for world peace. The political climate of the time oddly resembles what is going on today, however I struggle to think of any figure who is as publicly outspoken against the war now. The film, however, does not directly address the war going on now (the name 'Bush' is mentioned once).

Just as Lennon's early life is dealt with, his life after his trouble with the government is quickly covered as well. His death is not dwelled upon, but treated as if everyone already knows the story (which most probably do).

At the end of the movie, most of the audience stayed to listen to 'Instant Karma' play over the end credits. It was something that made me feel like the people did not want to leave and lose John again.

I would say this is definitely an interesting documentary. Do not go see it, however, if you want to learn about The Beatles. See this film if you are genuinely interested in another side of John Lennon and want to learn about the political climate of the 1970s. I'm reminded of the saying, 'We can learn from the past.'

The trailer:



UPDATE: There is a great article over at Design Observer about how this movie inspires people.