I've been accused of many things in my life, but being a racist isn’t one of them. Even the diatribes I often deliver about the current immigration problem, to those intelligent to recognize them, come from a standpoint of logic. I go off on tangents about living in the United States should promote speaking the language, not learning others. For example, if I go to live in Germany, I should learn German. If I go to live in France, I should learn French. Neither country should have to learn English for us to communicate. Whether a 'melting pot' or not, English has been the 'official' language here and everyone settling on these shores should learn it. (See, that is not a racist comment… if you think it is, let me send you an I.Q. test… then we'll talk…) But I'm not really the subject of this review… racism is. And we're talking the good old boy rhetoric delivered with such intelligent wit in the 1991 documentary "Blood in the Face."

Just recently released to DVD, "Blood in the Face" takes a look at the white supremacist wackos and KKK enthusiasts that reside in our fair nation. Through interviews with various members of these 'dis'organizations, some of which were conducted by a then lesser known Michael Moore, we learn just what makes these people tick. Well, actually we don’t as the film doesn’t really delve into the backgrounds of the interviewees, but instead just allows them to make fools of themselves, on camera, for everyone to see.

What rather surprised me in watching this documentary is just how many different groups are out there, or at least were out there back in 1991. I mean, I used to watch a lot of shows on the subject, especially those great old daytime talk shows. Believe it or not, I saw the original airing of Geraldo getting smashed in the nose with a chair thrown by a white supremacist. I loved watching these guys being interviewed by Geraldo, Phil and Sally Jessie. They were always fat and obviously inbred, and that was what I was reminded of watching this documentary. These people aren't just ignorant, some of them are certifiably looney. I mean, I live in Texas, but I hope there aren't any of these idiots in my neighborhood.

While I enjoyed the entertainment and shock value of "Blood in the Face", what I missed was any background on the groups that were featured. I would have rather the film mix a little history with the idiot interviews in order to put them better into context. It was as though the only reason the film was made was to make fun of these people (a good reason to be sure), but that's not enough to make it a well-rounded documentary. And in keeping with the fact that it was originally filmed in 1991, it would have been nice of the DVD would have had some updated interviews with some of the people to see 'where they are now' and if they still held the same beliefs. Our country is a different place than it was 16 years ago (though racism is still rampant) and some new footage would have made the film a lot more relevant.

I still recommend "Blood in the Face" for its 'in your face' shock value, but it loses a few points for failing to be a little more educational.

Directed by: Anne Bohlen, Kevin Rafferty and James Ridgeway
Extras: None
Studio: First Run Features
Release Date: 8/21/2007
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Blood in the Face a B-.