New documentary paints unflattering portrait of Giuliani

With Rudy Giuliani considering a run for president in 2008, a documentary aimed at tearing down his Churchillian image since September 11 is about to be released.

Premiering next month, Giuliani Time turns a critical lens on the former mayor’s controversial tenure in New York before his reassuring leadership in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks elevated his reputation.

“I’m not claiming there’s anything approaching objectivity about this film,” director Kevin Keating said in an interview.

“It’s a corrective to the perception of Rudy and the miracle of crime reduction in New York, Rudy and the miracle of 9/11.”

The film, made for about 1.5 million dollars (£840,000), is set to run at just one New York City theatre for two weeks beginning on May 12.

But Keating said he hopes the reception, and Giuliani’s rising political profile, will help it make its way onto screens around the country.

A DVD version is set for release next autumn.

Giuliani, who served two terms as New York mayor from 1994 to 2002, is depicted in a Machiavellian hothead who allowed police to trample civil liberties – particularly those of blacks, artists and welfare recipients – in the name of maintaining public order.