Curtis touches on a number of different subjects in this documentary. The central thesis is that our modern ideal of freedom is inextricably linked to the idea of the "free market". The Trap is sprawling, and not entirely successful at connecting all the dots. Nevertheless, I believe that the gist of the argument is correct: our modern idea of freedom is frequently defined as the freedom from taxation, regulation and outside control, rather than freedom from inequality and injustice.

This is something that every person should see. It so perfectly highlights the flaws underlying one of the foundational assumptions people have about the way things work.

I do have minor quibbles: As in the Century of the Self, when tracing the development of ideas, I feel Curtis's explanations are sometimes a bit too reductionist; I also thought that after the particularly good second segment, the third seemed to wander a bit. Nevertheless, I think Curtis is bang on, and as usual his use of stock footage is almost good enough to watch without the narration.

Compelling treatment of freedom from the 20th century until today. The style of the film, combining primarily found footage, instrumental music, occasional interviews, and voice-over narration, works to under gird the vast implications of Curtis' argument. While the assessment of how we got here is solid, Curtis' attempt to point the way forward falters in two ways: he doesn't show that positive liberty can be accomplished without tyranny, and he doesn't escape a rationalist concept of freedom.

Curtis has yet to disappoint. Visually arresting, beautiful to listen to, and serving as a bridge between the programming of the individual/masses detailed in Century of the Self and the shortsighted, backlash-resulting policy decisions in Power of Nightmares. The Trap is also a greater integrated commentary on the emptiness of modern liberal life, and may in fact be the most sweeping indictment by Curtis of the contradictory and perverted systems that we live in. Greed and fear have won.

I can't stop thinking about this film... It is disturbing! This is the kind of film that changes the way you see the world.

I would recommend this documentary for every thinking human being. Somehow it manages to unscramble and summarize what happened in the world in last ~50 years on a huge "outside the box" scale. It's depressing, because it looks that whatever we do, we are trapped in the flawed system and all previous tries to make something better were destined to fail. Also don't be afraid of "Zeitgeist" style conspiracy theories and pulp style, this is legit.

_The Power of Nightmares_ is good. This, despite being made for the boob tube (or, in some ways, perhaps because of that fact), is even more cerebral, and even better. It features a real all-star cast of important thinkers of the 20th century -- John Nash, R.D. Laing, James Buchanan, Isaiah Berlin, and many others. These are the people who really have shaped all our lives and the times in which we live, as opposed to those crapheads who have to bother to get elected

A superb documentary series. Combined with his two earlier efforts, "The Century of the Self" and "The Power of Nightmares," Curtis presents a remarkable account of the processes and tendencies shaping our world.

Incredibly thought-provoking, however I didn't really like the way it was presented. It often felt like Curtis is readnig an article while something else was going on on the screen.

Yet another haunting and well-documented film from Adam Curtis, one that gracefully tackles some really difficult subjects: game theory during the Cold War, the latter 20th century's rationalization of individuals being entirely motivated by self-interests, the crippling of social mobility in the West, and the contemporary (and ever-changing) definitions of "democracy" and "freedom" in the world. Curtis logically strings all of these things together to explain our current state. Essential.

Curtis dissects our world with a precision scalpel and says "Well, there's your problem" once again. Concepts and theories get your mind buzzing and a disparate tapestry of footage is shown, as a unifying logical strand weaves it all together. While watching it's hard to know what to feel: angry, enlightened, appalled. One thing to be certain of is a feeling of admiration for Curtis' prowess in constructing brilliant documentaries.

I think every single person with a functioning brain should see this film. This isn't a film about conspiracy theories. This isn't a film filled with biased opinions. There are nothing but facts stated, facts that get overlooked by many (including myself.) This film makes you see the world in a new light and truly question if we as a world can ever achieve a fair and balanced society. This film will send me on a quest for more knowledge, and I truly thank Adam Curtis for this film.

The arguments are no more intelligent than Michael Moore's, but they are far better presented.

5/9/9 - Superb. What David Attenborough is to wildlife and Herzog is to people, Curtis is to ideology. Incredibly well laid out, with a smooth and logical, yet incredibly interesting progression. Curtis makes no leaps of faith or strange arguments, letting the clips and interviewsand facts and literature speak for themselves. The visual style is, as always, incredibly impressive - nobody can match his mastery of the archives.