HOW ARNOLD WON THE WEST is a hilarious and insightful documentary that tells the story of the bizarre California Recall Election. Documentary filmmaker Alex Cooke followed the campaign from the moment Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his candidacy through to his victory. 135 candidates took part in this extraordinary gubernatorial race, personally paid for (to the tune of $1.7 million) by Republican Congressman Darrell Issa (former owner of America's biggest car alarm company, and brother of a car thief) to eliminate Democratic Governor, Gray Davis. With so many candidatesâfrom delusional hopefuls, to actors, porn stars, porn peddlers, self-promoters and performance artists, as well as seasoned politiciansâthe circus really did come to town.