At heart, John Pilger’s The War on Democracy a carefully constructed diatribe that delivers a damning critique on American foreign policy. That said, it’s also one of the most fascinating documentaries you’ll see about US intervention in Central and South America. Pilger tours the region to reveal a sordid contemporary history of revolution, resentment and war due to the machinations of Washington.

He scores some impressive interviews, notably a chummy chat with Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez. It’s no secret that he has been vilified by the US, notably for socialist policies that rationalised their oil supply to America. Although he won 80% of the popular vote, the democratically elected President also considers Fidel Castro a friend. Granted, Chavez once likened George Bush to Lucifer in an address the United Nations, announcing that he could smell brimstone. This mischief-making was a variation on Kruschev’s shoe stunt that drew attention to policies which rile a petulant Washington. Bolivia’s nationalisation of water has done the same. Reclaiming a resource that had been bought by foreign interests put President Morales in the same company as Chavez, Castro and Stalin.

As Pilger tours Latin America, he returns to a persistent theme of peoples persecuted for the greater American good. While some countries now face the blunt edge of America’s economic sword, others fared less favourably. Across South America, US forces toppled democratically elected governments – from General Pinochet’s hysterical overthrow of Chile’s socialist government, through Salvador and Nicaragua – to install brutal leaders who would protect US interests.

No matter Pilger’s invective, and his sermonising style is unsettling, truth wins out. His revelations jar to the bone as he presents a raft of events that speak for themselves. That they tell a miserable story of empiric hegemony while pointing to the elephant in the room.

// COLIN FRASER