Buffalo Common

Ever wonder what happened to those aging ICBM missiles hidden in silos scattered around the vast open spaces of the western prairie at the height of the Cold War? This low-budget, b&w, semi-satirical documentary takes the viewer to North Dakota, where missiles decommissioned as a result of SALT treaties are gradually being removed from their silos, and their protective bunkers blown apart. Were these missiles a real deterrence to nuclear war or the ultimate boondoggle foisted on the taxpayer by America's military-industrial complex? There's a real subject here, but the producers seem more interested in taking the well-worn Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine) route, so we're treated to detours, diversions, cheap shots, and observations about an economically depressed region's efforts to reinvent itself through projects such as a proposed Cold War missile museum or a Scandinavian heritage center. Buffalo Common's ironic title comes from an '80s-era politician's suggestion concerning North Dakota's land use that would essentially turn the state into a massive game preserve (a "buffalo common.") Voiced-over by a no-name narrator in tones as flat as the northern plains, the video misses most of its targets, but it's certainly short, and doesn't overstay its welcome. Still, this is very optional for all but regional collections. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)