Michael Moore is, well, Michael Moore. Love him, hate him - he is who he is. "Capitalism: A Love Story" is not a wide departure from his previous outings, but it does continue his legacy of speaking truth to power.

The film opens on a father and his daughter sitting inside their house. They count off the number of law enforcement vehicles pulling into their driveway. As the officers get out of their vehicles and knock on the door, the father calls the sheriff's office and says that he isn't going to open the door. No violence, of course. But they are going to have to get in by themselves.

This stark and frightening scene sets the tone of the film, as Moore documents the flaws of the financial economy. No one looks to Michael Moore for a feel-good movie, but the depth of the issue is presented in such a dire way that it's hard to make light of it.

That's not to say that Michael Moore's patented sarcasm isn't in the film. We watch Mike drive around Wall Street and attempt to get past big, burly security guards to "get American taxpayer money back." The sequence ends with him running crime scene tape around the big banking buildings in New York City. He also takes another stab at getting into the GM building, reminiscent of his first film "Roger & Me."

Despite a few bumps in the road, Moore's signature pacing is felt throughout the film. In one segment, he uses scenes from "Jesus of Nazareth," where Jesus talks about maximizing profit and deregulating the banking industry (dubbed in, naturally.) After the tongue-in-cheek segment, he moves to a serious interview with various Wall Street people trying to get them to explain derivatives. In addition to the interviews, Moore splices together various C-SPANesque videos of politicians talking about banking regulations. Somehow, he is able to make even the dullest of speeches interesting in the editing process. I'd like for him to put together any public meeting that is aired on C-SPAN. It'd easily become must-see television.

If you missed "Capitalism: A Love Story" on the big screen, Salem Progressive Film Series and Moveon.org will be screening it on May 22nd at the Grand Theatre. The film starts at 7 p.m. It is also available for purchase on DVD.