The circus of the neocons is alive and well. The techniques Curtis applies to this documentary are questionable (really? are you really using the Halloween theme music? I get it already, stop with the sledgehammer approach), but the merits far outweigh the faults. An important work that deserves to be watched by all.

Alongside The Trap, so far the best political documentary I've seen. Meticulously crafted, comprehensive, and entertainingly slick. It's a crying shame that gasbag Moore released Fahrenheit 9/11 the same year and became the darling of the left, because Adam Curtis covers the same ground and is so much better it's not even funny.

It's like "Zeitgeist," except real. Adam Curtis is absolutely brilliant and viewing this has prompted me to seek out everything else he has done.

Curtis juxtaposes the neo-cons and the Islamic fundamentalists in a way that felt somewhat blasphemous at the time. The montages of period footage are superb: atmospheric, frightening, funny.

This documentary observes that while neocons and Islamic jihadists may be sworn enemies, they are cut from the same cloth. The world isn't divided into the good and the evil, it's divided into those who believe in good and evil, and those who don't. The true enemy of the neocons isn't Islam, it's cultural and moral relativism. The true enemy of the Islamists isn't the West, it's moderate muslims. The world is a complicated place, but sometimes it appears stupid in its simplicity.

Aside from the content, showing the two sects (neocons and al-qaeda) as parallel and telling both stories at the same time enabled the director to present the whole in a very clear way. The Bush era is over but this has aged very well and will continue to introduce people to current history.

Between this and The Century of Self, Mr. Curtis has succeeded in making me hate my country!... The way he parallels the rise of Islamic Fundamentalism and the rise of Neo-Conservatism in America is expertly researched and brilliantly articulated, and some of the connections that are brought to the surface are downright terrifying. The latter part, dealing with the Bush era, is just plain depressing because its still so fresh in our minds; the first two parts are must-see though.

Adam Curtis is a virtuoso documentary maker and this is another magnificent piece of work. Completely alays fears of terrorism, but makes you terrified of government and mainstream media. Everyone should see this. Everyone.

What is the place of idealism in society? I can safely say that I don't know, but you won't be short of evidence for either side after watching this.

The first two episodes - focusing on the rise of modern radical Islam as well as parts of the neoconservative movement, are excellent. The last episode, while feeling slightly incomplete, is still a nice reminder of how insane everyone became following 9/11. It's a bit too narrow in its focus on the two ideologies to really summarize the era, but it's still a really well-made documentary.

The music is great, the visuals are good and the content is amazing.

A pretty comprehensive look at how two ideologies born from the same dissatisfaction can have such immense consequences for the world. Informative, chilling, infuriating, depressing.

Very interesting and eye-opening

An incredible, mind-blowing piece. Towards the end, once you've learnt enough, some of the stuff just becomes hilarious - I couldn't stop laughing at the cave with the bedrooms and internet and shit.

Brilliant, disturbing and unsettling documentary about how the ideologies and madness of a few people shapes the world. Masterful movie making: You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll loose all faith in humanity. Now, go listen to Pink Floyd's 'The Fletcher Memorial Home'

The absolute epitome of unsettling documentaries, drawing a chilling comparison between the neo-conservative hawks of the American government and it's quote-unquote greatest enemy: The terrorist. It's greatest pick-me-up is that there IS no Al-Qaeda, in the sense of an organized international army of Muslim fundamentalists, after which - of course - it does everything to make you wish to God there were.

Everyone should watch this film. It is brilliant, terrifying, and in some ways prescient. Adam Curtis weaves together the histories of two seemingly opposite sorts of extremism and shows how they have almost identical roots. He also explains how neoconservatism has altered the way government interacts with people. All of this done primarily with archive footage. Brilliant! Also, watch "The Trap" and "The Century of the Self."

Pretty much cuts through the propaganda from one side and insane conspiracy theories from the other side, to reveal the real story of the Neo-cons, al-Qaeda and 9/11.

Well if this doesn't put the fear of God into regarding George Bush's friends, nothing will. By the way, those who want to whine about liberal bias or nail me to a tree for liking this can go sit in the stupid corner.

Following the twin fortunes of Islamic fundamentalism and American neo-conservatism through the decades was a brilliant decision. Overarching this history is the sense that we are living in times where belief, confidence, and desire, whether political, economic, or individual, have failed. Combined with "The Century of the Self," a very important diagnosis of our times.

Like many great documentaries I can only fault it for not being longer, as I would gladly watch another six hours of well researched logically explained footage. In particular more depth about the revolution in Iran would have been very interesting. Has some jaw-dropping moments where politicians nonchalantly admit to fabricating falsehoods.

Excellent Documentary that brings a clarity to the otherwise incomprehensible thinking of Islamic Fundamentalists and, more interestingly, Neocons. Maintains an academic tone, yet cleverly undercuts that with humorous stock footage. Revealing the 'magicians tricks' of Neocons is especially satisfying to watch.

Nice insight into two 'different' sides and how it all started. Some of the information is quite shocking (the 'charges' of some of the terrorists on American soil, some information on Osama and al Qaeda). Definitely worth a watch.

Brilliantly observed, and brilliantly written.

Enlightening, compelling documentary series all about the twin rise of the NeoCons on our side and the Islamic fundies on theirs that's full of visual and auditory references to classic horror and fantasy films. Now we know how all this crap started. How do we get it to stop?!

A frightening portrait of the political age we live in. One in which the endgame of defeating liberalism justifies the means of deception and fear mongering. Neo-cons are possibly America's biggest threat to preserving our way of life.