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Gunner Palace
Directed by: Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker
Starring: U.S. Armed Forces
Genre:
Documentary
Run Time: 85
min.
Release Date:
March 2005
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
GUNNER PALACE is a good
look at soldiering in Iraq. But it's not a great documentary.
Since I'm an optomist, though, I'll start with the positives of the film
...
Gunner Palace is a startling look inside the Iraq war. But it's not told
from the documentary maker's standpoint; it's told from the men and
women who are there, everyday, fighting to just stay alive and,
sometimes, fighting off boredom.
Music permeates the film as Vietnam-era songs (FLIGHT OF THE VALKYRIE,
etc.) mix with rap songs performed and created by the soldiers
themselves. It's as if there's a connection being made between that lost
war of the 60s and 70s and that which our young fighters are going
through in the deserts and city streets of Iraq. I found this intriguing
and pretty insightful into the minds of our Armed Forces.
Contrary to some other reviewers, I found that the documentary maker
(Mike Tucker) did ask pertinent questions ("Do you feel you're
doing a good job?" "What do you think the people back home think about
what you're doing over here?" etc.) These are excellent questions to ask
and allows the viewer a peek into the soldiers' minds.
I could also feel some of the tension the men and women go through as
they describe cringing at a piece of trash alongside the road, wondering
if its an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) waiting to destroy their
vehicle as they pass.
Where the documentary fell apart a bit was the overall flow of the
story. There isn't one. The herky-jerky movement from place to place and
person to person allowed for minimal immersion into various aspects of
the war and these soldiers' experiences. Although some of this
information came across, it should've been in a much smoother fashion.
Let me end this review by saying that I respect what our Armed Forces
are doing in Iraq. Although I don't agree with our current U.S.
government administration and how this war came to be, I'm humbled by
how dedicated our young men and women soldiers are "over there."
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Image from Gunner Palace
DVD cost: $18.99
Purchase:
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Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
The word "fuck" is used 42
times, the most ever used in a PG-13 rated film.
Movie Quote: "We
dropped the bomb on it and now we party in it."
Other Actors/Actresses
from Gunner Palace
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