SFGate: Where in the world is Osama?

"In his new documentary, Morgan Spurlock sets out to succeed where the U.S. government has failed for seven years: finding the hiding place of Osama bin Laden.

Early in the movie, the filmmaker jokes that he was inspired by American action pictures, in which lone heroes solve the most enormous problems. So, with a camera crew, Spurlock travels to (mostly) Muslim countries, wanders the streets and villages, and asks people, "Do you know where Osama is hiding?" The result is called "Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?"

The film is partly a gimmick - it envisions Spurlock's quest as something like a video game, complete with cartoon images of a hip-hopping Bin Laden. But it also has a profoundly serious side because the interviewees tell us a great deal about America's standing in the world after years of the so-called war on terror.

Spurlock decided to make the film when his wife became pregnant, and he tried to think of what he could do to ensure a safe future for his child. Putting an end to the world's biggest terrorist threat seemed like a good start. "