“The years of brutal oppression and fear are coming to an end. Our forces are friends and liberators of the Iraqi people. The spirit of friendship and goodwill will prevail”, this is the message that Tony Blair delivers to the Iraqi people following the country’s illegal invasion in 2003. The outcome was rather different: more than one million deaths, widespread sectarianism and violence. Up until this day, Iraq is a very dangerous place to be, and few would dispute that life was much better under Saddam Hussein.

It is also clear that Tony Blair was lying through his teeth, and manipulating the country’s public opinion with the support of his chum Rupert Murdoch (nicknamed “the Sun King”). This extremely insightful documentary produced and mostly narrated by former Labour MP George Galloway reveals that Tony Blair is the brainchild of Margaret Thatcher. When he entered No 10 in 1997, people expected a new type of politics, but instead they saw the same sleaze, cynicism, belligerence and lack of ethics as with the Tories. No wonder Maggie once described Tony Blair and New Labour as her “biggest legacy”, the film reveals.

After destroying Iraq, Tony Blair became Peace Envoy in the Middle East, which Galloway described as “the most absurd appointment in History since Caligula anointed a horse in Senate”. He is supported by interviews with American philosopher Noam Chomsky, filmmaker Stephen Fry, Tory MP David Davis and Tony Blair’s own sister-in-law Lauren Booth, none of whom very sympathetic views of the former PM. There seems to be a general consensus that Tony Blair is utterly dishonest and greedy.

The film also reveals that Tony Blair has unabashedly used his political influence mostly for profiting. He trades his lobbying and spin abilities with the most reprehensible (and often far more oppressive than Saddam Hussein) regimes in the world, including Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Lybia and Egypt, in exchange for money. He is “very popular in the court of headchoppers”, and never ashamed of siding with torturers and dictators.

He has used creative investment routes in order to conceal his real wealth, and it is virtually impossible to say how much he is worth. What the film does ascertain with vehemence is that Tony Blair has become one of the most despicable politicians in the world, and that he will never be able to walk down the streets of his country without security. Many – including Galloway and Booth – intend on performing his citizen arrest as soon as they have the opportunity. He is now “a pariah in his own land”.

The Killing$ of Tony Blair reveals how a single politician destroyed Iraq, destabilised the Middle East and imploded the foundations of his own Labour Party at home. At times the film has traces of Michael Moore, with colourful charts and maps and some banter. At one point, Galloway knocks at Tony Blair’s door to no avail, similarly to what the American documentarist does to the subjects of his films. Overall, however, the British film has a much more serious tone. Perhaps that’s because Galloway is an insider (he was an MP until last year) and the film was crowdfunded by 5,000 pundits in the UK, perhaps ensuring that it remains less jaunty and whimsical.

It is unfair to describe The Killing$ of Tony Blair as one-sided and sanctimonious, as some of the British media have. In reality, the film is a very urgent statement against the media bias and political spin that drive most successful politicians in this country, New Labour and Tory. Most of the left-wing media in this country are sympathetic to Blairites, and only grudgingly recognise that Tony Blair should be held accountable for his crimes. Galloway’s honest and candid views on this unpunished and unrepentant war criminal are a much needed breath of fresh air.

DMovies hazards a guess that making and showing this film has been an uphill struggle – just like holding Tony Blair accountable for his crimes. We therefore urge everyone to watch this movie.

The Killing$ of Tony Blair is out in cinemas across the UK this Friday. You can watch the film trailer below:

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