Wal-Mart's Double Vision

While Michael Moore is still working on his expose of the medical-industrial complex, the next big detonation in explosive American documentaries is already creating a firestorm. Robert Greenwald’s take-down “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price” is about to be shopped at American Film Market…. but not alone. It will be competing with a conveniently timed Wal-Mart loveletter called “Why Wal-Mart Works: And Why That Drives Some People C-r-a-z-y” directed by Ron Galloway, who swears that he really, really feels that Wal-Mart improves the lives of workers and communities, and really, really didn't take any money from Wal-Mart.

By another strange coincidence, Wal-Mart yesterday put its press machine into high gear promoting Galloway’s film and denouncing Greenwald’s. It hasn’t done too much good, Greenwald has already secured distribution both domestically and internationally, while the film that can’t understand why Wal-mart drives some people (like indigent child laborers around the world) “C-r-a-z-y”, will probably only be shown to Wal-Mart drones (employees)… over and over and over, starting with its premiere November 10 near Wal-Mart’s company headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas (film capital of… Arkansas?)

Greenwald, who also produced and directed “Outfoxed:Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism” and “Uncovered: The Iraq War” examines Wal-Mart’s exploitive business practices and will hopefully see the same kind of attention that has highlighted other abuses of power, corporate and otherwise.