Michael J. Totten

February 8, 2010

Generation Kill

Last week I recommended The Hurt Locker, the best movie made yet about the war in Iraq, but there was some grumbling in the comments by annoyed veterans. I noticed some of the same mistakes, but they're the kinds of errors most people in the audience won't care about or even notice if they haven't served in the military or spent a lot of time with the soldiers and Marines in Iraq.

If you're the kind of person who's a stickler for the details, take a look at Generation Kill, the eight-hour HBO mini-series.

I prefer The Hurt Locker, mostly because it takes place in Iraq after the U.S. invasion, the only time I've ever been there. Generation Kill is about the invasion itself. I can't vouch for how realistic the mini-series is or is not because I wasn't there, but if the reviews by veterans at Amazon.com are reliable, the portrayal of the American invasion of Iraq is authentic.

It's available in Blu-ray, as well.

Posted by Michael J. Totten at February 8, 2010 12:07 AM

Comments

I enjoyed "Generation Kill" but I somehow think it has to be taken as entertainment. It doesn't hide that it's from the viewpoint of the writer, which is at least honest. And nothing about the Marines is ever realistic.

Posted by: Thrasymachus at February 8, 2010 5:16 am

GK drags a bit, but it's got a lot of good detail. It does have a narrative from the writer's point of view, and lots of dark foreboding about the future of Iraq.

Posted by: John Lynch at February 8, 2010 11:33 am

Easy dream here with other people's cash, but I wish someone with a deep pocket would gather vets (and vets know who knows vs. who is just talk) and some talented storywriters, get the shoulder patches, decorations, weaponry, and, most importantly, the conduct RIGHT so vets won't tune it out, and tell us who have never been and never done what it's like. Put it on the 'Net if distributors don't want it. The story sells it, but word of mouth gets it sold, disc by disc if necessary.

I love spending other people's money!
:-)

Posted by: Paul S. at February 8, 2010 1:31 pm

I just read the review of "Hurt Locker" by Brandon Friedman, and I have to say I disagree with him. This part, for instance:

So, without giving away too many scenes, let's just suffice it to say, in real life, EOD techs don't conduct dangerous missions as autonomous three-man teams without communications gear. They don't typically carjack Iraqi VCD sellers with a 9mm while wearing civilian clothes, either. While on Camp Victory. And even if they did, they wouldn't be driven off base by the Iraqi and dropped off at another Iraqi family's house, at which time they hop a wall, enter an unlocked door, get into an altercation, flee the scene, and run through an Iraqi city attempting to make it back to the base.

I assume this guy was either an officer or in some clerical position, or maybe a reservist, because I've seen guys do some pretty crazy shit, and it's not even uncommon. I won't bore everyone with the stories, but suffice it to say I'm unfamiliar with the civilized and orderly military Brandon speaks of. Give a marine who has been out in the field a while a quart of Jack Daniels and all hell is likely to break lose.

Anyway... I didn't care much for Generation Kill, though I can't really pinpoint why.

Posted by: Craig at February 9, 2010 11:10 am

I was a combat engineer, so our missions were often closely related to EOD. We found the IEDs, they blew them up. I thought The Hurt Locker was great. Yes, there were inaccuracies, but overall it conveyed a good sense of what it was like.

Generation Kill, on the other hand, the book at least, was written by a guy who was embedded in a Marine recon unit, but had no idea what he was seeing, didn't bother to do any research, and ended up producing a misguided piece of crap. I won't watch the series.

Posted by: Mike at February 11, 2010 6:59 am

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