Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.

Think what you might about British director Tony Kaye (I'm guessing most of you don't have an opinion on the guy one way or another, or even know who he is), but by my measure he directed one of the finest and most disturbing films of the last decade, AMERICAN HISTORY X. His ability to target the heart of any issue is astounding, and he holds a mirror up to the United States in ways that may infuriate and provoke you.

There are few issues (maybe no issues) that have divided this nation more over the last few decades than abortion, and what Tony Kaye has done with his exhaustive documentary LAKE OF FIRE is given us the most comprehensive, evenly balanced look at not only the issue but also at how deeply torn the nation has become as a result of the fight over reproductive rights.

The feelings that stem from this argument spread into all corners of the American fiber and have caused everything from ill will to outright assassination. Kaye does not so much provide a history of the debate (although we get some of that), but a snapshot of where we are now with this issue. And we seem no closer to the end of this debate today than we were when Roe vs. Wade was decided. Both sides have become more inflammatory, brazen, and even dangerous about how they fight their fight, and Kaye presents a convincing case that this single issue is tearing us apart.

Never shying away from exactly what he's talking about, Kaye occasionally uses intensely graphic images (including showing two abortion procedures as well as a host of familiar photos of aborted fetuses) to lay out his film. Never seeming to take a side in the debate, Kaye gives what feels like equal time to both sides of the abortion fight. Of course, a few of the people he interviews on the Pro Life side of the equation are linked with the murders of abortion doctors, white supremacist groups, and domestic terrorists, so you draw your own conclusions from Kaye's inclusion of them in his film.

Many of these same people can't open their mouth without mentioned God and/or Jesus; so again, make what you can from that. Some of these men and women go so far as to say that doctors who perform abortions take the fetuses and barbeque them (!). On the other side, I was genuinely surprised how thinkers like Noam Chomsky and Alan Dershowitz seem to understand that there is no right answer in this struggle, and that may be at the heart of why this is such a tough issue. How do you solve an issue that is beyond the realm of debate and negotiation? There is no middle ground on abortion, because both sides believe that if you give an inch, you lose the fight.

Some of the new footage in LAKE OF FIRE dates back to the Clinton administration (Kaye spent about 16 pulling this piece together), including a sequence near the end of the film that follows a woman through every step of the abortion process, from getting picked up by the man who got her pregnant through the collection of her medical history and discussion of her options to the procedure itself and the brief recovery time followed by a brief but clearly painful breakdown. This might be the most powerful section of the 2.5-hour film, and watching it may solidify what your stance on this issue is.

Kaye's access and willingness to let both sides speak until they literally start repeating themselves is what separates this film from most other issue-oriented works of late. Shown in black-and-white (I'm guessing to make the blood-and-guts footage and photos a little less graphic), LAKE OF FIRE will more than likely be interpreted differently by every set of eyes that watches it.

Your response will vary from that of the person sitting next to you, and it is that quality that of this film that makes its impact so poignant and important. Kaye understands that the first step toward confronting an enemy productively is by seeing them as human and not some monster. Whatever side of the abortion issue you land on, you will not only see yourself but other in a new and hopefully less aggressive light. This is truly one the great documentaries of this or any year. For those of you living in Chicago, it opens this Friday for a two-week run at the Gene Siskel Film Center [WEBSITE HERE].

This one will rattle you as it informs.

Capone