A world-renowned diplomat was introduced with a silly grin and a goofy look in “The Trials of Henry Kissinger.”

A contradictory approach to introducing one of America’s best-known diplomats from the Nixon administration, Kissinger’s cheery facade doesn’t properly portray the imminent horrors yet to unravel. The documentary, viewed at the Wexner Center for the Arts on Friday, endeavors to establish Kissinger’s impact on America.

Kissinger’s appearances on “The Simpsons,” news clips and interviews and other spots have placed him under the public eye for nearly 30 years.

A man who rose to power because of his remarkable intelligence, Kissinger is a citizen of complex paradoxes. Born in Nazi Germany, Kissinger is ironically portrayed as using political tactics similar to the party responsible for not only killing 13 members of his family, but also burning down his synagogue. Kissinger, who personally understood the Jews’ suffering, still sacrifices human lives to gain power.

Although the documentary doesn’t accuse Kissinger of direct responsibility for half the names listed on the Vietnam Veteran’s wall in Washington, D.C., the film’s implication is hard to miss. Kissinger’s controversial nature is displayed by his skill of using the media to his advantage. When rubbing elbows with powerful people or appearing as an international ladies’ man, Kissinger established himself as strategic and ruthless. Manipulating lives in Cambodia, Vietnam, Chile and Indonesia, Kissinger appears as a real “Teflon Don.” While many Nixon administration officials were charged with Watergate crimes, Kissinger, a large player in the corruption, continued his rise to the upper levels of society.

In large part, the film reveals an underlying theme: crime does pay. As America was shocked by the Watergate scandal, the remnants of these events are still apparent today. In a film characteristic of the baby-boom generation, the facts are presented in a “don’t believe the government” style.

As blacked-out documents show the “darker side of Henry Kissinger,” the film continues to magnify the political system’s deceitfulness. While this tactic (or possibly propaganda) is understandable, each politician interviewed is either a blatant liar or morally bankrupt. Yet, while this resonates well with Gen Xers and Gen Yers, how much of it is the truth and how much is an anti-Kissinger campaign?

In reality, Watergate erases all doubt that the administration Kissinger was a part of was corrupt. The documentary conveys a false sense of security for Americans, portraying how wonderful life is because Kissinger is no longer in power. However, if democracy were in jeopardy from such blatant misuses of power during the Nixon administration, how can that fear be resolved now?

Just as the audience breathes a sigh of relief, Kissinger is shown living a posh life because of his strong and viable business success from his partnership, Kissinger Associates. The irony is overwhelming. A man who has killed, connived and cheated has also won the Nobel Peace prize, and not only went without correction, but was promoted. This is a result not of his trustworthiness, but of his ability to act secretly, without getting caught. Ah, there’s the rub — justice is blind after all.

As Kevin Kline said in “The Emperor’s Club,” a life has to have character backing its contribution in order to give it meaning. Kissinger has left his contribution on American society– a dark shadow of lies, deceit, and ruthlessness. The documentary is very thorough, but a touch too long. After so many pictures of famine-struck children staring sadly into the camera lenses, the audience can’t help but have flashbacks to Nazi concentration camps. In the end, the movie left the sense that Kissinger was an American Nazi, but much better at his deeds than the former Reich.