“Of all the documentaries that have been made about John, this is the one he would have loved,” said Yoko Ono after watching The U.S. vs. John Lennon. I think she’s right. Directed, written and produced by David Leaf and John Scheinfeld, it’s a gripping and timely film.

Our country is currently on the brink of supporting or not supporting yet another war in which the United States is engaged. As as evidenced in this documentary, it was not so long ago that other turbulent protests and political unrest filled our daily media outlets.

The Beatles made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, and soon John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr caused a musical tidal wave around the world. Also in 1964, the United States sent our first troops into Vietnam, which by 1965 numbered 25,000 soldiers. By 1966 the number grew to 100,000; the draft was instituted; and political activists were fueling their own verbal weapons.

Among those who had a strong opinion opposing the war was John Lennon. He wasn't a radical with angry physical protests. In fact, his protest came through new peace-themed songs penned by him and performed with his new bride Yoko Ono. Songs such as "Give Peace a Chance," "Gimme Some Truth," "I Don't Want To Be a Soldier Mama" and "Power to the People" continued to spread Lennon's heartfelt message.

Protests by celebrities have always surfaced during times of turmoil. Recent comments on Iraq from the Dixie Chicks, Bruce Springsteen, and Pearl Jam are among those that come to mind.  The U.S. vs. John Lennon is more than conjecture. Its riveting images of Lennon and the nearly always silent Ono conjure up what this couple endured to spread their message of peace. Interspersed with clip after clip of Lennon and Ono during public and private moments, the movie reminds us also of what a great talent the music world lost when Lennon was shot outside his New York apartment.

There are few minutes in the movie that eclipse the political thread of the documentary. Along with many media clips of Lennon and Ono expressing what and why they are doing something, Ono herself provides commentary during the film. She furnished the filmmakers access to the Lennon-Ono private archives, some never before seen or heard, and they add an emotional intensity that tells the story the filmmakers sought to relate.

Other prominent men and women give comments about happenings during the Vietnam years, and some express opinions about today's political actions. These political analysts include African-American political activists Angela Davis and Bobby Seale; journalists Carl Bernstein and Walter Cronkite; Nixon Administration officials G. Gordon Liddy and John Dean; Vietnam veteran and antiwar activist Ron Kovic; American historian/novelist Gore Vidal; former New York Governor Mario Cuomo; and three-term Senator and Democratic Presidential candidate George McGovern. What's really interesting here is learning that a few of these people can look back and regret the stance they took or didn't take.

The saga of Lennon and Ono trying to win their case against deportation from the United States, amid clear-cut stalking by U.S. government agencies, swirls among the history of the war years. Present are news clips of the four college students demonstrating against the Nixon-ordered invasion of Cambodia in 1970 who were gunned down and nine others wounded by the Ohio National Guard on the Kent State University campus. Footage also shows Lennon finally receiving his green card in New York City in 1976.

Leaf and Scheinfeld set out to make an adventure story that would answer some long overlooked questions, including why the U.S. government had targeted Lennon, why he was seen by our government as such a threat, and what we can learn from what happened to him. It took me a few moments to get into the documentary, but then I was hooked. In addition to listening to Lennon's music, I discovered so many new angles to important events that helped shape pop culture and political policies of the 1960s and 70s -- and some that may need revisiting today.

(Released by Lions Gate Films and rated “PG-13” for some strong language, violent images and drug references.)

Read Diana Saenger’ reviews of classic films at http://classicfilm.about.com.