By Gregory Crofton
Showtime’s “THE WORLD ACCORDING TO DICK CHENEY” is a true documentary in that it reports and illuminates a crucial part of American history. What it doesn’t do is explore Cheney’s character.
The vice president comes off shimmering with pride — and making adequate use of his fly rod on the river, as long as he had two men rowing the boat to hold things steady. But in reality he’s just a hard-working company man, be it for Halliburton or the United States government, someone quite capable of turning confidence, and experience in dealing with the media, into some type of solid patriotic character that’s impervious to the straight but thorough questions of co-directors R.J. Cutler and Greg Finton.
Despite a distracting voiceover by Allstate pitch man Dennis Hasybert — one you eventually get accustomed to — this film is worth watching. It explains several stretches of the George W. Bush presidency that were hazy from the outside, one involves an illegal NSA wiretapping program that Cheney basically hid from Bush. The two men’s relationship deteriorates thereafter and results in a different type of presidency for Bush in his second term.
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO DICK CHENEY premiered on Showtime.