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STUDIO: A&E Home Video
MSRP: $14.95
RATED: PG
RUNNING TIME: 94 Minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES:
• nothing

The Pitch

George Patton vs. Po the Panda.

The Humans

Director: David W. Padrusch

The Nutshell

"Sun Tzu was the Nostradamus of warfare and his book Art of War, written 2,400 years ago, is still the ultimate how-to guide for winning at war." This History Channel documentary takes a look at how Tzu's book has influenced the western world and their approach to battles.


After the aliens landed and surveyed Earth they quickly left.

The Lowdown

Unless you know the history of warfare the mention of Sun Tzu will mean nothing. If you do know the history of warfare and you have never heard of Sun Tzu then I suggest you get back to history class. The History Channel features in this 90-minute documentary a study of Tzu's tactics, a blueprint on what it takes to win a war. If you ever wondered why one of the reasons the United States lost in Vietnam look no further than the Vietnamese's study of Tsu's writings The Art of War and within that book Tsu discusses how playing on public opinion (which is what ultimately caused the U.S. to bail-out) is an effective stragedy tool. At one time Tsu's writings were only allowed to be read by Chinese leaders and today his writings are taught at military schools all over the world, including West Point.


This sign hangs over my front door so when you come to visit be prepared.


The documentary begins with a nice history lesson on Tsu and the climate he lived in with emphasis on a couple of major battles he was in charge of. The rest of the film showcases major battles that the U.S. has been involved with - Revolutionary, Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korean and Vietnam. Using archival footage and opinions from historians and military commanders who explain the importance of Tsu's manual and, if applied could change the outcome of a battle even if that battle looked to be a lost cause. The filmmakers use of actual footage is effective and drives home the genius of Tsu.

My main problem though is not enough time was spent on Tsu himself. We get a cursory glance at his life and the time he lived but there is no depth. I find it hard to believe that there was not ample documentation on this man so why leave it out? The answer to that can be attributed to the fact that the filmmakers wanted to focus more on the impact Tsu's writings had on world history and for that reason I can better appreciate why they choose to footage they did.


Just thought this shot was cool.


Running just over an hour and a half there is no way Tsu's impact on military battles can be studied in the detail that it deserves and credit has to be given to the filmmakers for making an attempt to condense a subject matter into 94 minutes which actually deserves four to six hours. If you are the slightest bit interested in the history of war you can't go wrong with this DVD.


The Package

Nothing here.

7.5 out of 10