Gunner Palace (2004)

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

"Oppose the war, support the troops"--This tiresome message that some self-identified American "liberals" believe bridges the partisan divide in US politics has become the M.O. of countless American war films and and documentaries since the Vietnam War. It's tiresome because it actually works to re-center US soldiers as 'victims', deflect attention from those most victimized by wars, and generally erases the larger politics in which it is not the individual soldiers, but nationalism, that is most complicit with the violence of war we have now habituated ourselves to as part of the everyday, that we can simply switch off, click away, and ignore.The soldiers here are real people, and the documentary shows that (unlike de Palma's "Redacted" which, while not a documentary, pilfered docu-aesthetics to appear as one, and failing miserably in its delivery because the characters were so one-dimensional). The Iraqis are rarely shown here, except as malcontents pelting rocks at military Humvee, suspected 'insurgents' having their homes broken into late at night, and getting arrested for the sketchiest of reasons. The film attempts to shore up critical reflections on the Iraq debacle near the end, but only as an attempt to convey the impression of a 'balanced view-point.' A passing grade because the film at least tried--even though it fails.

The first thing that struck me was that most of the American soldiers portrayed in this documentary apparently were small town guys, with little education and not as articulate as one would hope. They joined the military not out of patriotism, but for imagined adventure. It was the army or community college. I can sympathize with them and at the same time I can understand why the Iraqi people don't like them. They are crass, bullying and overbearing.But they also are willing to take tremendous risks and are sincere in their efforts to bring stability to a country thousands of miles from their own. The entire Iraqi war seems to be a tragic, confusing mess and where it goes from here, no one really knows. The American soldiers, many just kids fresh out of high school, really want to put in their time and go home. But we know, even if they survive, they will never be the same again.

I have to say the director is currently here at fort hood doing a DVD signing and i thought the video was of very poor quality, not edited very well at all, and really was nothing more than a rap video. so much rap in fact it really had nothing to do with the war. I think where the director was heading in a sort of hidden way was that he was against our mission in Iraq. A young Lt. died and there was really very little mention of this man. It seemed to me the director actively looked for the lower educated soldiers or the ones he believed were not in support of the war. I must tell you from experience that this is just not the case most or our soldiers don't cut rap records and aren't against the war. very poor indeed. worth a look if you are bored but you won't learn much.

Gunner Palace is a unique film focusing on the war in Iraq and using new digital resources to produce an immediate unnerving front seat view. I have seen it two times and appreciate the discipline the filmmaker used to keep his political stance out of it. These soldiers are at risk doing their job at our government's request and we should hear them out. Their humor, music and camaraderie are what keeps them going and Tucker captures that. The frenetic pace and at times tense moments give the viewer a snapshot of what these young people lived through for over 400 days. It makes you mourn those lost like Ben Colgan. I hope this film gets folks talking and thinking about being more involved in war decisions that impact us for years. Go see this film.