The earliest American corporations were chartered by individual states for a specific purpose, such as erecting a bridge, and tightly constrained in their scope of operations. In a landmark decision after the Civil War, the courts applied the 14th Amendment to corporations-giving them all the rights of a citizen-and conglomerates' power and influence have mushroomed ever since. As this inspiring, infuriating documentary spells out, many corporations' sense of social responsibility has not kept pace. Belatedly, the excesses of Enron and Halliburton, together with broad-based WTO and NAFTA protests, have drawn the hot glare of public attention to the private sector. This far-ranging film, by turns funny and heartbreaking, encompasses the exploitation of Third World labor by multinationals, environmental destruction, and the complicity of Big Media. Noam Chomsky and Michael Moore are among those called before the camera, but the most compelling witness is Ray Anderson, chairman of the humongous carpet maker Interface and a recent convert to sustainability. “The day will come when plundering is not allowed,” he says in his disarming Carolina accent. “Someday people like me will end up in jail.” The snippet of Anderson preaching the gospel to a roomful of stone-faced executives is a highlight.