Back in the late 1960s and through much of the 70s, a small group of terrorists who labeled themselves the Weather Underground (or, the Weathermen) resorted to very violent tactics in reaction to things such as the Vietnam War and racism. While they didn't kill anyone (other then themselves in one case), they blew up many things and even helped Timothy Leary break out of prison! Now, decades later, this film explores their actions and interviews the surviving participants."The Weather Underground" is an interesting film about about this terrorist group. What's also interesting is that the documentary is amazingly amoral--neither taking a pro or con sort of approach. This isn't bad--and it allows the participants themselves to make that determination--looking back at their movement and actions. Some were rather wistful--and seemed to now believe that they were completely wrong in using violence. Some excellent quotes from the ex-terrorists were the following: "...if you think you have the moral high-ground, that's a dangerous thing..." "...my feelings of guilt and shame...these things I am not proud of..." However, what was even more fascinating was the woman who disagreed, saying "...I would do it again..." This values-free approach, while disconcerting, is also quite revealing--and a bit scary. Well done and very fascinating. Worth a look.

Decent documentary recalls the exploits of the Weathermen, a radical anti-war organization that operated in the United States during the 1960s and '70s. We see how this small group hid bombs in public buildings (though never with the intent of killing), planned for a revolution and eventually went underground to avoid the FBI -- all with the aim of ending the Vietnam war and overthrowing the federal government."The Weather Underground" is as much a retrospect as it is a character study. Lots of people oppose war, but what motivates a tiny faction to take such extreme action? This is a cautionary tale of sorts, warning of the dangers of what happens when one side believes it has "right" on their side. The Weathermen so strongly believed in their cause, and that some magical revolution was on the way to change everything, that they come off as kind of pathetic and sad.Something this doc could have used a bit more of was balance. There are voices in the film that essentially say, "You did what???", but not nearly enough considering just how extreme the Weathermen were. Still, it's an enjoyable effort whether you're old enough to remember this group or not.

The Weather Underground is a great documentary because the people it follows have remarkable pasts. Mainstream media has been reluctant to shed any kind of light on American revolutionaries because if it did, the masses would realize that these so called "radicals" actually make a LOT of sense - and the status quo would be jeopardized (perhaps). Which is not to say The Weather Underground (and the Weathermen) didn't make tactical mistakes, because they did, and the filmmakers did not neglect to include some of the stupider aspects of their movement. The drugs and sex and early period of indiscriminate violence are included. Members of the Weathermen speak frankly about some of the mistakes, and it is interesting to see how their opinions have changed since the sixties and seventies. For the most part, though, the members of SDS and the Weathermen were/are very logical, passionate, and educated revolutionaries. Watching this documentary was kind of eye opening for me because apparently (I was born after the era...) revolution was viewed as imminent, people were aware and organized, ready to take action, and it was not so ridiculous to think that positive change could happen. At times the members of the Weather Underground seem a little bit confused and detached. Others, like David Gilbert, (you really should watch the interview with him in the 'features' section) are still very committed and sharp. Overall it's a fascinating and inspiring film, you should check it out.

A friend of mine wrote:"I have a very sparse knowledge of (The Weather Underground's) particular historical context. My interest here is more in terms of how the film was put together, what the archival footage and interviews with former Weathermen members NOW reveals to us about their sentiments, their motivations, their actions."My sentiments exactly. Like the above well put thought piece, I foresee others more eloquent than myself will lavish raves (or rants) on The Weather Underground. Love it or hate it, you decide. That said, I shall post here, my expanded take. There is an incredibly balanced portrayal of these people in The Weather Underground. Though objectivity is arguably frown upon in documentaries, this film worked for me. For it allowed me to understand the information presented (Yes, I am just as ignorant about 60s/70s American history) and it helped me in making my own conclusion. This documentary shed interesting light on its subjects. The Weathermen failed in their radical movement. However turbulent that time and place might have been, the corresponding violence initiated by this splinter group did not contribute as much to the winding down of the Vietnam War, as did the natural progression of other events. Ironically, the continual pacifistic action from "the rest" arguably effected more of a shift in that period's socio politics (albeit gradually) than these radicals could ever accomplish. One telling line from Mark Rudd, one of the movement's members said: "I cherished my hate as a badge of moral superiority" Therein lies the danger. When smart, idealistic (more often than not, good intentioned as well) individuals share this belief that they stand on a higher moral ground, that they have a greater, grander purpose in their "calling", they'd willingly go to any lengths in pursuit of their causes. As a result, as one other interviewee put it, extreme violent actions would be considered. Ordinary human lives would ultimately become dispensable. Ergo, the seeds for terrorism has been planted. Mass Murderers are borne out of this ideological conceit. This cinematic thesis also suggested the generalised "hippie" movement of the 60's/ 70's slapped the faces of the Left real hard. It torn apart the fabric of the nation. Its unachieveable idealism when intermingled with the "violent" dynamics of that turbulent period (Vietnam, Drugs, Hedonism, Multiple Assassinations of Cult of Personalities, Watergate etc) brought about disenchantment and despair. As a result, the pendulum swung and many people ran towards the Right for comfort, denial, escapism and a combination of these mixed feelings.... It gave us Olivia Newton John, Rambo, Ronald Reagan and Jane Fonda - The 80's (yikes). I am actually quite glad the film ended on an optimistic note. These arguably misguided Weathermen brought with them enormous personal baggages all these years. Yet throughout this film, they were candid about their ideology and reflective about their frailties. Contrary to our natural expectations, these "failures" did not become jaded human beings. They moved on from this checkered past. They continued living their lives. One of them even won Jeopardy (Don't ask). All in, their humanity shone through. The Weathermen fought Da Man, and lost. Their strategies might not have been better thought out. Their continuous radical activities might have played into the hands of sophisticated government spin doctors. They might have lost steam due to gradually realising their movement's futility. Yes, their follies were explored abundantly in this movie. But their thoughts and actions were guided by the confusion of those turbulent times (however ironic this last sentence might have sounded). All in, their hearts were in the right place. On the other hand, if we look beyond the talking heads and read between the lines, we would realise that the questions raised in The Weather Underground are just as relevant today. About 50000 American Soldiers died in the Vietnam War, millions more Vietnamese perished. Who holds more destructive powers? The Weathermen or their "enemy"? Who then were the mass murderers? Look at Iraq today, Afghanistan the day before and Bosnia before that. Who then are the mass murderers? In closing, I guess all should know that History is written by the victors. This cinematic document about the "losers" is hence IMO, a most important piece of work. It demands a wider audience and need be accorded higher archival priority than something as insidiously engineered and time wasting as The Fog of War. For we have much more to learn from this Oscar losing flick.