“The Brink” is a fly-on-the-wall chronicle of embattled former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon’s global mission to spread extreme nationalism.
Splashing images on the screen of an often disheveled, overweight troll with a two-day growth of gray beard slurping down energy drinks, “The Brink” portrays Steve Bannon as a brilliant, yet disturbingly obsessed partisan operative. A political story like this takes place almost in real time as events surrounding the alt-right and the Trump presidency twitter updates daily, even hourly through the content-hungry media.
Interestingly, the movie opens with Bannon describing the ruthlessness and precision of the design of Auschwitz as a human extermination factory. Bannon gushes with creepy awe about how matter-of-factly the bureaucrats refined the process to nightmarish proficiency. In a way, we might surmise that he would like his organization to run in the same manner.
The initial backdrop of this narrative surrounds the hugely unexpected win over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential election, which enabled Donald J. Trump to wrest control of the moribund Republican Party. As Bannon intones at one point, ideas in the political marketplace travel like news in the financial world – at the speed of light around the globe. Based on the rise of candidates without traditional campaign infrastructures – Obama, Sanders, Trump – the nature of elections and politics in the U.S. has forever changed because of the new rules.
“The Brink,” presumably implies a reference to Bannon’s return from various states of ignominy several times during the course of his career. The film presents a compelling story filled with rich detail chronicling his day-in, day-out unofficial campaign on behalf of the far right. Bannon frequently turns up tethered to a cell phone as he texts, tweets or calls fans and power brokers alike. He consults with both Republican strategists and Breitbart operatives. The constant strategizing and networking bears a strong resemblance to “The War Room,” the classic 1993 documentary covering Bill Clinton’s first presidential campaign that brought to light such luminaries as James Carville and George Stephanopoulos.
Directed, photographed and co-produced with the confidence of a seasoned pro, Alison Klayman along with co-producer Marie Therese Guirgis, “The Brink” brings us up close and personal with the machinations of Bannon and his enterprise after departing the Trump administration.
The production spans late 2017 through the 2018 midterm elections, keeping all of the events in clear context. Near the beginning, we learn that “As chairman of the far-right website Breitbart News, Bannon was a controversial late addition to the Trump campaign. Bannon’s main policy victory as White House Chief Strategist was the Muslim travel ban. Just days after the deadly ‘Unite the Right’ rally in Charlottesville Bannon resigns from the White House.”
Despite periodic setbacks, Banning’s career certainly contains impressive highlights. Harvard educated, later serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy for seven years, then on to Goldman Sachs as an investment banker, he also produced 18 Hollywood films and co-founded Breitbart.
Unfortunately for Bannon, more recent exploits proved less favorable. After his firing as chairman of Breitbart, along with his radio show, Bannon also lost financial backing from Robert and Rebekah Mercer. Even Trump began picking on Bannon, referring to him as Sloppy Steve.
The core of Bannon’s message in “The Brink” focuses on returning America to its former greatness. Of course, neither Trump nor Bannon has ever done much to define what that means. While in the years following World War II, the U.S. was ascendant in world affairs and enjoyed increasing standards of living, economic and social inequality remained rampant. Flowery oratory aside, no mythical past awaits recapture by the U.S. via some nationalistic crusade.
According to Bannon, economic nationalism is what binds us together – regardless of race, religion or gender. And yet, barely concealed racism imbues Trump and his supporters. At one point after an interview, journalist Paul Lewis of The Guardian challenges Bannon, referring to attacks on globalism as a dog whistle.
The demonization of racial groups is nothing new to America, of course. Mexicans and Muslims simply constitute the most recent scapegoats. Yet as he presses on obtusely, Bannon insists that the Muslim ban was a necessary jolt to the system in order to get the populist juices flowing – no racism involved.
The rarely-acknowledged real fuel for the populist anger spewing from candidates like Trump traces its origins to economic disenfranchisement. While the fruits of capitalism have long been denied to people of color, many whites are now getting a taste of it too – and they don’t like it. Unfortunately, Bannon’s quick fix cure will likely turn out worse than the disease, as it does nothing to address the influence of the economic system, investment banks, and the corporate state.
Further, despite the bombast about overturning the establishment, the Trump agenda actually lines up pretty neatly with conventional Republican priorities – most notably, tax cuts benefitting the wealthy and significant increases in defense spending. By contrast, egalitarian programs such as infrastructure, Medicare and Social Security either receive cuts or are ignored altogether – all the while nearly 80% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.
Ironically, we witness Bannon crisscrossing the country in a private jet speaking at far-right Republican fundraisers, where he remains a hot ticket. He tosses red meat to the party faithful – virtually all white, older and well-fed stalwarts. With childlike glee, they applaud and shout as Bannon jokes that a heckler must one be of his three ex-wives.
As nationalistic movements spread to Europe, we are treated to Bannon’s high-level meetings with independence party candidates there that also include Breitbart media, a former president of Goldman Sachs and an Arizona politician. The meeting opens with a prayer to the apparently one true, decidedly Christian, God. Then fine wine is served in crystal goblets set on white linen – all the trappings of society’s upper crust. It seems that even the populist political class lives well.
The film ends with the outcome of the 2018-midterm elections. Bannon is nothing if not a realist. When the House of Representatives shifts from Republican to Democratic control, Bannon immediately acknowledges defeat, when so many other political pundits might remain in denial.
Other themes are touched upon, such as the Citizens United verdict, which allows 501(c)(4) groups to take unlimited corporate funds without disclosing the sources. In this regard, Bannon and others seek to direct enormous resources into the popular media, erecting, in essence, a metaphorical wall to defend an aging aristocracy desperately holding onto the levers of power.
“The Brink” provides searing insight into the life of a savvy and manipulative behind-the-scenes player. It is both chilling and breathtaking to see Bannon try to run the table on the American political system. At the end of the day for Bannon, the quest is a win-lose proposition, a zero-sum game that holds civilization in the balance.
“The Brink” opens at the Magnolia Theatre in Dallas Friday, April 12th
This review and the movie iffer an Important look at the \”Master Designer\” who skillfully foisted the Trump \”Rule by Disaster\” phenomenon onto Americans\’ lives.