Search - National Geographic - The FBI on DVD

Cover looks good but content is (just) o.k.

William K. | Fort Walton Beach, Florida United States | 01/25/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I thought the first 30 minutes (of 60 minutes) was good because Director Mueller meets with President Bush in the morning for a daily security briefing--something we commoners don't see every day. The DVD only shows him going from his office to the Whitehouse and meeting President Bush. No details.
There's no details on FBI's training at all--unlike a documentary of the FBI I had seen before on television which included extensive & recent details on their training from start to finish (I had hoped this DVD was that program).
The last half drags on with some FBI cases regarding gangsters during the 1900's--who cares??
The good:
The first 20 to 30 minutes.
Hoover bashing (basically, how crooked he was)The Bad:
No details on FBI training.
No helpful information for those interested in becoming a FBI Agent.Suggestions:
For those who are interested in a career with the FBI, I recommend the book "FBI Careers" by Ackerman. This book seem to have some helpful information that you won't find on the net. :)"

Not good, not bad, just average.

Warren Goldstein | Minneapolis, Minnesota United States | 06/25/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD was just OK, it wasn't good, and it wasn't bad. It goes in depth about how the FBI works in general, but doesn't go into cases in depth very much (Waco, Hanssen) etc. 90% of the video concentrates on how the FBI works now after 9/11, dealing with terrorism, but there wasn't any piece of it which highlighted thier priorities before 9/11. Some of the material nearly went as far as to being borderline propoganda, but the directors appear to have tried to stay away from that. It highlights some of the FBI's ups, and a few of thier down's. It goes into mostly how the FBI handles security of bigger events, but that was nothing new to me, and shouldn't be for any of you (snipers of roofs, instense screening, gaurds, etc.) Overall, I'd have to recomend you don't watch this, but if you know absolutely nothing about the FBI, this may be a good place to start learning."

Great Documentary, Esp. Considering All Others on the FBI

AggiePhil | 05/14/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Considering that there aren't many well put-together documentaries available on the FBI, I thought that this one was excellent. You can only cover so much in two hurs, and I thought that this one did a very good job of it. There is also a very long feature on Hogan's Alley (mock city training center used by the FBI in Virginia) in the Special Features that was shot sometime in the late 80s/early 90s. I highly recommend this DVD if you're interested in a career with the FBI."

Fairly interesting/entertaining.

Michael Gordon | Los Angeles, Ca | 02/04/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is a fairly well-presented documentary on the FBI. The creators of this film did a good job explaining what the FBI's role is, how that role has changed, and what should be expected in the future. It is a fairly superficial documentary, though: don't expect any complex analysis/insights into the operations of the FBI. Nevertheless, the editors did a fairly good job, got some interesting footage, and showed things that rarely are shown."