Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry

Like "Fahrenheit 9/11," "Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry" surely won't change many — or probably anyone's — mind about the upcoming presidential election.

"Going Upriver" isn't nearly as incendiary or as controversial as Michael Moore's moneymaking documentary. What it does do is call into question the motivations and skills of British filmmaker George Butler, whose works include the "Pumping Iron" films and the 2001 large-format documentary "Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure."

All of those films had their effective moments, but "Going Upriver" is talky, slow-moving and surprisingly superficial, more like a campaign informercial.

Much of the film is taken from Douglas Brinkley's book of the same name. Both chronicle the Vietnam War experiences of Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, who served a tour of duty there in the U.S. Navy.

The film also speculates about how Kerry's upbringing led to his career in public service and how those war experiences led him to become an outspoken critic of the U.S. government's foreign policy in Vietnam.

The whole thing feels like a response to some of the political mudslinging that's been going on during the campaign. And it doesn't help that so many of the interviews — snippets from Kerry's fellow soldiers, friends and supposedly objective journalists — are redundant. Few if any shed much light on the subject.

Worse, narrator Ben Affleck sounds bored at times. You can't really blame him, but it certainly doesn't make the film any easier to watch.

"Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry" is not rated but would probably receive a PG-13 for violent and gory war images, including some newsreel footage. Running time: 90 minutes.

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