User Reviews

Through his documentary, "Agents Unknown," Michael Reiter has crafted an intelligent, sensitive and thoughtful commentary on the myriad pressures created by military conflict, societal upheaval, and the self-destructiveness of manipulated statistics. Lt. John J. Murphy recounts his service in Vietnam in 1967, when he was 22 years of age and entrusted with responsibilities that constantly required him to decide whether the "facts" presented to him were accurate and reliable--or had been "tweaked" in some direction or other to suit someone's version of the elusive "truth." In the documentary, Murphy is careful in his judgments and reflections, but they all result in the same conclusion: it was impossible to proceed with confidence and assurance in a country where Agents sold information to whomever sought it and contempt, corruption, enemy infiltration and distrust were always to be encountered. The Power Structure in far far away in Washington, D.C. likewise declared numbers and statistics designed to counter the deafening national unrest with their inflexible commitment to this Conflict. Director Reiter has captured this long moment in our history with a smoothly flowing narrative, distinctive graphics, and footage of the Vietnamese people that vividly portrays the daily horrors of this period. A remarkable amount of history has been conveyed in "Agents Unknown." Worth a watch!

Reviewed by Jim Kozicki

Those of us who served have all heard about or seen something that doesn't make any sense, and alt Murphy does a great job of sharing some of those types of things in this film.

Agents Unknown smartly delves into the Vietnam War from the point of view of a Lieutenant at the province level (Lt. John J. Murphy) who does a superb job of recreating in the viewers' mind the ambiguous atmosphere that existed on the front-lines of the War. Through Murphy's insightful account, we experience firsthand how muddled information that flowed through the lines of communication throughout the armed services ultimately served to reshape the overall strategies and outcomes of events that took place as the War progressed. "Juking the stats" can be found just about anywhere information exists. In that light, the manipulation of any form of information can cause myriad ripple effects, with far-reaching consequences. Whether we are talking about the economy, crime, education, or war, compiling and utilizing clean information versus compiling and utilizing corrupt information can have a huge impact on strategy, the eventual outcome of events, and overall public perception. This film is an honest account that contains no fluff or highly-charged rhetoric aimed at molding the viewers' opinion. This is a sharp well-directed piece that belongs in any historians' library of documentaries.

If you are interested in a tough reality show about the VietNam war this is for you. I found parts of it difficult to watch and I was unprepared to be so uncomfortable watching a movie.It is a firsthand account of what really went on with the Johnson administration and the realities of a misdirected war.This movie is not for everyone.

Definitely gives you an "insider" point of view in an honest way = a perspective from a military viewpioint

It was very enlightening to get the facts from John Murphy that I never knew about Vietnam. Many facts were presented from the field perspective.