A documentary that looks at how a right wing government fears those who speak out against it, The U.S. vs. John Lennon
is about the Beatle legend''s transformation from band member to a hippie peace warrior and the Nixon administration''s attempts at silencing him.
The U.S. vs. John Lennon stars - surprise, surprise - John Lennon, and while it certainly isn''t too hard to get plenty of stock footage on the man, directors David Leaf and John Scheinfeld do a very good job of assembling the footage into a strong motion picture. The movie progresses at a fast pace and covers a lot of material. At the same time, at only 96 minutes the movie feels a bit long, as it gets tied down with some rather boring stuff in the third act.
Still, the movie tells a story that is eerily reminiscent of today. While the times may have changed, circumstances have not, and once again we''re stuck with a right wing government that strikes out at people who disagree with it (though, admittedly, maybe not to the same degree as Nixon). More importantly, the movie''s message is peace, and just like we''re stuck in an endless war in Iraq that has killed nearly 50,000 people, if not more, Lennon was around in Vietnam. The movie clearly parallels the two wars, and comes at just the right time (actually, a few years too late) as tables are turning on the current administration.