Errol Morris examines the pictures of Abu Ghraib

Errol Morris
Director Errol Morris is internationally known for his documentary films such as "The Thin Blue Line," "Fog of War" and "Fast Cheap and Out of Control." Now he's examining the Abu Ghraib scandal in "Standard Operating Procedure."
MPR photo/Euan Kerr

"I think they are the most widely seen photographs of all time," he said. "These are photographs that have been seen by literally hundreds of millions of people. The iconic image of the Iraq war, the hooded man on the box with wires has been seen everywhere."

Morris's film about the Abu Ghraib pictures, and the story behind them, is called "Standard Operating Procedure." It opens in the Twin Cities this weekend.

Morris said he expected to find a story about error, but he was surprised to find a story instead that he said reaches all the way up to the top of the Bush administration. He was able to interview many of the major players in the scandal.

He told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr he went in with a simple idea.