Reporter's Notebook

“A Call to Arms”

This documentary from director Scott Miller explores the controversial anthrax vaccine through interviews with scores of military members who refused the vaccine, or who suffered various medical maladies after taking it.

 The movie itself is not superbly produced — the soundtrack is a little bizarre, the footage onscreen doesn’t always make sense with the information being voiced-over, and there are pervasive grammar and spelling issues (”sargent”). There are also a lot of dubious factual connections: Rising crime and murder rates in the military are due to the vaccine … how? It’s not explained.

But there is a mountain of human evidence of the vaccine’s potentially devastating effects. While the military has never acknowledged any danger behind the vaccine, interviews reveal troops suffering from blackouts, heart lesions, auto-immune disorders, inability to eat, and the terrifyingly named “burning semen syndrome.”

The service members interviewed aren’t malcontents, either — they’re enlisted, officers and warrants who all in some way profess their love and fealty to the military, and who feel all the more betrayed and hurt for being spurned for their devotion.

I’d say you’re better off doing some of your own research if you really want to know more about the anthrax vaccine controversy. The movie has something very strong to offer, but only if you can get around the numerous frustrating faults.