THIS is one of the most powerful films ever to hit the cinema and there is no excuse for not watching it.

It doesn't matter whether you are fascinated by current affairs or haven't quite got a handle on the difference between Iran and Iraq, you will get something out of this film.

Director Michael Moore manages to cover a huge range of material without pitching his arguments too high for the average multiplex audience or so low that they becomes patronising.

What's more, although this is a documentary, Moore's snappy editing, driving soundtrack, quick-witted humour and ability to present tragedy make this as compelling as any fictional big-budget movie.

It takes a phenomenal amount of skill to present material that will make you laugh and weep in the same hour and a half without seeming contrived or tacky.

Indeed, laughs and tears will be in abundance in any audience of this film.

Many of the laughs come from the American President, George W Bush, whose verbal slip-ups, self-contradictions and seeming obsession with golf in the face of any adversity had the audience howling with laughter.

And then there are the moments when you don't know whether to laugh or cry, such as when an American soldier reveals that he and his buddies like to play rousing music in their tank to get their blood pumping before they go into battle, before informing the viewer that his favourite is The Roof is on Fire because they wanted Baghdad to burn.

But the film is at its most powerful and harrowing when it is making you cry. You'll find yourself weeping for the victims and their families of September 11 and the Iraqi war - the civilians who have been killed and maimed, the soldiers who didn't realise what they were getting into and the families that are left behind when they die in action.

There are some scenes, such as a little girl with her arm ripped open being treated in hospital or the charred corpse of an American being beaten, that are truly disturbing but they need to be shown to get the full force of what has happened across.

This is one of those films that you will want to watch more than once so that you can quote your favourite fact from it - such as how long the President continued to read a children's book after being told about the planes crashing into the World Trade Center.

There's no denying that Michael Moore's documentary is biased - he wants to bring George W Bush down and he makes no bones about it.

Clearly, if you disagree with his politics, some of the scenes will irritate you.

But whether or not you agree with its politics, there's no denying that this is a masterpiece of film-making, which raises the bar for documentaries.

Rating 9/10