Sicko

America’s most incendiary filmmaker, Michael Moore, returned in 2007 with this health-care-industry expose. SICKO tackles material as controversial as the topics explored in Moore’s other films, yet does so in a way that places the focus on ordinary Americans affected by the nation’s health-care crisis. After providing some historical background on how the nation’s medical care system became so ravaged and unfair, Moore interviews a series of individuals and families who have had their lives all but destroyed by the denial of care in the service of profit. While there are two sides to the gun-control debate and even a legitimate discourse for how to best wage the war on terror, it’s simply impossible to justify how a baby girl can wind up dead because her mother’s health insurance wasn’t accepted at a nearby hospital. 

Michael Moore for many years has spoken out against his governments approach to the majority of it’s policies, but this documentary is truly frightening. Fahrenheit 9/11 showed a different side to the New York terror attacks and his shooting down of the National Riffle Association in Bowling for Columbine opened peoples eyes to the gun problem in the US. Sicko on the other hand leaves you feeling ever so slightly lucky.

Lucky? I live in a world of National Health Service, if I get ill then my tax money pays for almost anything which ails me. It is the same in many parts of the world, with this film highlighting France also to have a great healthcare system. However, in the US people take out major insurance polices, and when you get sick and need treatment, these insurance providers try to wrangle out of paying for anything until it is too late.

This film, through interviewing victims of many illnesses, or at time families of the victims opens up a major problem deep routed within the worlds only real super power. As in all his films Moore adds entertaining twists throughout and keeps you updated about how much money is given to people in power ($800,000 to G. W. Bush for example), and shows the true feelings of Americas poor.

DVD Extras

• Raising Money To Fight Cancer featurette
• H.R. 676 (Sicko Goes To Washington) featurette
• Deleted scenes
• Religious Freedom Father Mike featurette
• Sicko Los Angeles Premiere
• Alone Without You Music Video Performed by Tom Morello
• An Interview With Marica Angel
• An Interview With Elizabeth Warren
• An Interview with Aleida Guevara
• Tony Benn: A Champion for the People featurette.