one of my absolute favorites!

Good idea lost in the noise

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Wow! I know the Battle of Chile was one of the most important documentaries about a coup ever made (I'll not say why - watch it!), but I'm convinced this trumps it. Some film makers arrive in Caracas, Venezuela to make a film about the new president...and then a coup starts, and for some reason (probably sheer arrogance) the coup leaders let them stay. I'll not say more on the story because the twists and turns are amazing and I don't want to ruin it.The film shows how the reactionary right wing forces in the country, backed by the US sought to overthrow democracy, and call the ensuing dictatorship...democracy! As you may imagine, those same forces, and their allies in the US have condemned the film, and continue to try to destabilise the country. There are many claims about factual errors, editing choices and the like that can be found on the internet, but these are all rebutted in Rod Stoneman's (the executive producer) book on the subject. At the end of the day, whatever the claims and counter claims, the film very clearly shows how the old political elite, the business leaders and the media conspired to stage a coup (using footage from their OWN television shows!).Watch it and make your mind up

Ten out of ten stars is no exaggeration. This documentary provides the viewers with unique footage about the 2003 coup in Venezuela. This great film is now the minimum knowledge requirement if you want to express a competent opinion about Venezuela or Hugo Chavez.The dramatic, electrified atmosphere, the unique footage will allow you to experience a true historic moment. You'll feel like you're in the middle of the situation. The film will help you gain unique insight in the happenings of 2003 and will help you hear a side you will rarely hear on TV. It's something you shouldn't miss.

This Documentary (Now available free on Video.Google.Com) is a fantastic demonstration of the power of ordinary people to overcome injustice. Everyone must see this.Chavez was elected in a landslide vote in 1998. His platform was to divert the fantastic oil wealth from the 20% middle class to the 80% poor. He banned foreign drift net fishing in Venezuelan waters. He sent 10,000 Cuban doctors to the slums to treat the sick for free. He wiped out illiteracy and set up new free Universities. But it was his 30% tax on oil company profits that got him in trouble with the Bush administration. In 2002, while Irish film makers Kim Bartley and Donnacha O'Briain were interviewing Chavez inside the Presidential Palace about his social programs, a CIA backed coup was launched. With the cameras rolling, Chavez was captured and flown out of the country. It was announced on national TV that he had 'resigned'.But the poor of Venezuela didn't believe the media. They went to the Palace in their millions and demanded that Chavez be returned. In the face of such overwhelming numbers, the military turned on the coup leaders and the plotters fled to the US. Chavez was rescued by military helicopter and returned to jubilation.

To me this was more a wake up call, and realization that most all we see, hear, read and think about most anything, is dependent on what the media feeds us. This is a classic example of high level spin doctors attempting to control the masses through controlled information. It is also an excellent example of how people that have a constitution that they freely bought in to, will not be swayed by this media control or any attempted mis-information. Once again this shows that at the end of the day the needs of the many will in fact outweigh the needs of the few. It is also enlightening to see that in in a country where there is no religious civil war going on, that democracy is not a real hard thing to implement.