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Restrepo

Restrepo

2010
Documentary, War
1h 33m
A year with one platoon in the deadliest valley in Afghanistan. (imdb)
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Restrepo

2010
Documentary, War
1h 33m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 61.59% from 736 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(736)
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Compact view
Rated 20 Dec 2010
73
45th
With such amazing access, the most surprising thing about this documentary is how uninteresting a lot of it is. There are some powerful moments and a few intriguing observations about the lives of soldiers. But many times I wondered "why am I being shown this?". It often felt like random bits of not-very-relevant footage. The hands-off attitude with regard to political commentary is refreshing, and lets the viewer decide if these fellas are doing a good job, and if it's a job worth doing.
Rated 29 Mar 2012
8
82nd
Unreal. Tim Hetherington & Sebastian Junger have some big ass balls. Was refreshing to see a doc about this subject that wasn't skewed to make you think one way or the other, just showed you what was happening and let you make your own decisions. The worst part about everything is that what they are doing is basically pointless and my god Afghanis are some stupid backwards idiots, no wonder your country is an armpit.
Rated 18 Dec 2010
70
76th
Lots of respect for the soldiers in this doc, they've got big balls. This doc shows exactly there's absolutely no reason why they should be there in the first place. Taliban pays local's kids to work for them and shoot Americans. Americans wants locals to stop their kids doing this. America's solution: start building a road and employ local's kids. Locals don't want road. Taliban don't want Americans. 1+1=Logic fail.
Rated 10 Jul 2010
90
86th
The greatest irony is that this is a documentary that actually portrays US servicemen overseas in a more flattering light than "Generation Kill". The second greatest irony is that this is a movie that has all the virtues of a "real" war movie, and has more of them than most of the fiction films do. There's humor, brutally honest observations about the nature of men at war, and lots of exciting you- are-there combat footage of our soldiers giving the what-for to the Taliban
Rated 07 Dec 2010
100
97th
Considering the amount of documentaries and films on this subject, this one stands out as one of the best. Excluding one or two differences and the occasional use of talking heads, the creators seemed to have taken a page out of Frederick Wiseman's work, no voiceover, no non-diegetic music and other tools of documentaries, and let the subject talk for itself, creating a film where showing the complexities of the conflict is far more important than whether the war was right or not.
Rated 06 Jan 2012
80
75th
The drama of it isn't that shocking, but it's mind-blowing that trench warfare is still thought of as a viable solution to international disputes.
Rated 10 Aug 2015
5
42nd
I'm not sure what the purpose of this documentary was, if any, beyond showing the day to day happenings of a military outpost in the Afghan mountains, but what I got from it was a terrifying picture of how incompetent and uninformed the military really was going into Korengal, along with a sad account of young morons (US forces) and innocent civilians (Afghanis) being slaughtered for no reason.
Rated 28 Dec 2010
53
44th
These last few years almost every nation that is in some kind of conflict made a film about 'brave soldiers stationed in one of the most dangerous outposts in the world'. Of course this is different because it is real. I still feel the urge to complain about poorly written, flat characters. Then again, it only shows that intelligent people find a way not to kill or die for stupid or vague reasons. Props to filmmakers for putting themselves into harms way, but it wasn't worthy.
Rated 22 Feb 2012
71
59th
Offers some interesting moments you'd never catch on a news report, but at the same time sort of just drifts along without really offering the viewer any useful or unique insights. I would have liked to see more interaction with the local population, as painful and frustrating as it was to watch at times.
Rated 08 Jul 2012
78
65th
I thought it was interesting seeing both the intense combat scenes and the soldiers blowing off steam afterword. It's not really an all-encompassing film about the war, but it's a fascinating look into how the mostly very young soldiers deal with extreme stress.
Rated 01 Feb 2011
100
96th
Undoubtedly the best war movie of this generation (so far.) It is by far the best exhibit that I've ever seen of the kind of small scale diplomacy soldiers in Afghanistan (and Iraq) are forced to perform. We get the impression that maybe the Americans are being taken advantage of by the locals, (the cow incident,) but we can't know for sure. We get the Americans trying their best to explain why civilians are dying, but the Afghans clearly aren't buying it. God, such a good movie.
Rated 10 Dec 2010
2
59th
This documentary, along with the theme, the 'brave' soldiers, the time they were there... all pointless. It feels empty. Good men were lost and for what? This is no 'Nam or WW2, rather the residue of the Bush administration and we all know why the middle east was invaded. The documentary shows us an honest view of these boys who behave like cowboys and are obviously brainwashed by the U.S. army. The filmmakers don't take a critical standpoint, which is what this docu needed, to put sense into it
Rated 24 Nov 2012
76
57th
it's a fairly informative-ish, and entertaining (if you can call it that) documentary. i was never much of believer in the occupation of afghanistan and found it to be an unwarranted situation, so watching people die for what seems like nothing is a little depressing. i have only to remind myself that these guys volunteered for this.
Rated 02 Jan 2011
75
83rd
Harrowing Afghan War doc provides You Are There footage that steadily reveals the mad life of the solider --tedium interspersed with intense adrenaline inejections in the form of fire fights. Soldiering is almost like heroin.
Rated 03 Jul 2014
11
2nd
What a depressing artifact this is.
Rated 15 Dec 2012
65
16th
Interesting photography but not very interesting as a film. Much of it is centred around the loss and remembrance of one soldier, but we never get to know the soldier beyond a bit early on that in retrospect seems forced in. In terms of emotional impact and thrills, Restrepo fails in comparison to something like Armadillo. That said, at it's worst, it's a film crew following people on an incredibly interesting job.
Rated 12 Mar 2011
72
86th
A close up look at a group of soldiers fighting for the intangible. Still feels a little detached for having such access.
Rated 04 Jan 2011
77
86th
Whatever this film lacks in narrative focus it makes up for in incredibly haunting and chaotic imagery. Simply put, this kind of on-the-ground first person perspective of the war in Afghanistan is absolutely necessary to see. Not to sound preachy, but we should have some clue of what we're asking our nation's bravest to do. What does it seem like they're doing? Not sure, but it looks like they're taking taking enemy fire on a daily basis while the overall Afghan situation stays much the same.
Rated 30 Apr 2011
77
68th
rip.
Rated 10 Sep 2010
91
77th
Tedious, unfocused and absolutely brilliant. Like war itself, you cannot maintain expectations, danger could be lurking anywhere, and the only thing keeping you together is whoever is beside you at that moment.
Rated 22 Jul 2010
40
71st
A helpful supplement to dry newspaper accounts of the war. Bloodshed is considerately confined to after-the-fact interviews, although reactions to it are on one occasion captured raw.
Rated 07 Dec 2010
80
88th
Another great doc about the war in Afghanistan. Similar to the danish Armadillo, this one solely focus on the soldiers stationed there and doesnt intercut with news stories or information about the general war. There is a huge difference in the area where the two films take place and that reflects on the outcome. Armadillo raises debate on how stationed soldiers kill Talibans, while this one is a more action packed doc about hard working soldiers in a somewhat meaningless war! Recommendable!
Rated 22 Mar 2011
92
87th
An excellent military documentary. If you've never served in the military, this will give you a good idea of the tedium and stress and fear and courage that every day demands of you.
Rated 19 Mar 2011
52
52nd
If you've watched anything else about Afghanistan, be it in-depth news reports or other documentaries in the last ten years, the praise this film has gotten seems strange.
Rated 26 Feb 2011
80
80th
A solid, no bullshit, non-judgemental visit to the front-lines, that won't tell you anything you don't already know.
Rated 31 May 2011
35
77th
"Despite being a moving reminder to support our troops, Restrepo cannot help but be "Exhibit A" in the case against the unwinnable 'War on Terror.'"
Rated 19 Aug 2010
90
84th
Seriously one of the best documentaries I've seen a in a long time. Not an easy task, as it was filmed almost exclusively in one of the deadliest parts of the whole world. We are let into their world and their inner thoughts and fears, and it remains a rearding experience. Even if we never learn why they were fighting in that valley in the first place.
Rated 21 Jul 2010
88
70th
Damn this is one hell of a good documentary
Rated 10 Jan 2011
78
64th
Powerful, important documentary. This war should be front-and-center in our popular culture, and yet it's so easy to forget about. The soldiers are presented in this film are super-sympathetic which makes the pointlessness of their fight all the more tragic.
Rated 14 Dec 2010
92
87th
Really great documentary about the Afghan war that isn't skewed by political views.
Rated 08 Jan 2012
75
80th
While conventional and predictable in its shape -- the interviews are unnecessary --, this is still a fierce and quite well-documented report bravely shot from the dangerous Korengal Valley. Despite its many light and funny moments -- there is a nervous tone in all of them, though --, this is actually a both exciting and painful take on war at its grimmest.
Rated 10 Jan 2011
80
84th
Surprisingly non preachy and it doesn't hit us over the head with absurd patriotic imagery either. Accurately reflects life in the infantry and the difficulties in conducting a war fought with insurgents. The documentary deserved another hour to its running time. It's unfortunate that the focus was only on a few soldiers giving the interviews. It seems that there were many interesting personalities in that platoon especially if you've read the book by Junger.
Rated 21 Oct 2010
30
78th
"Hetherington and Junger's fair-minded chronicling of military experience remains a valuable piece of filmmaking, perhaps essential in reminding us of what warfare extracts from those who fight it." - Matthew Connolly
Rated 23 Feb 2011
80
57th
Frustrating as all hell in ways that I can't really blame the filmmakers for, because even its myopic scope seems intentional. I wonder if this is a documentary that will actually change some minds about this shit or is just preaching to the choirs on both sides.
Rated 12 Sep 2011
70
60th
What a nightmare place, but you do see that it's not ALL depressing and that people can still have a laugh in a shitty situation. Still this doc lacked something, but I don't know what
Rated 28 Sep 2014
70
50th
Visually it's great, giving a really direct access to what the fighting looks like. Unfortunately it just couldn't piece something truly compelling together, and in the end it's just an hour and a half of footage spliced together. That's not that bad but it hampers the viewing experience a bit. Not sure what they could have done though to correct that, not like they could control what was happening over there to fit a story.
Rated 10 Jul 2010
86
81st
Not a perfect documentary. It perhaps lacks a certain flow or visual wonderment that could have either made it better or worse, but who knows. Yet, the film is breathtaking and enthralling none the less. At moments it is both raw and uncompromising. Its directors capture certain moments of perpetual human honesty that viewer cannot help but become completely emotionally attached to the men and their mission. Touching at points and absolutely wrenching at others, "Restrepo" succeeds admirably.
Rated 05 May 2011
64
26th
Quite impressive and dramatic in terms of true emotions and sincere feelings. The most important question is left unanswered: what exactly are Americans doing in Afghanistan?
Rated 11 Sep 2014
70
64th
Interesting documentary. I wasn't expecting all of the bright red beards.
Rated 13 Feb 2011
91
92nd
Far and away the best film nominated for an Oscar in 2011. Despite the fact that it's relegated to the Best Documentary category, it's more beautifully and masterfully shot and edited than any of the 10 movies nominated for Best (Fiction) Picture. It's also principled, disciplined, timely, affecting, dramatic, eye-opening, illuminating, etc. Watch this once and see if you still think Hurt Locker is a serious movie about American empire, er, war.
Rated 09 Jul 2011
84
84th
Heretofore unseen view of war in Afghanistan, Restrepo takes us into the minds of the average soldier without restriction. The reality of it all is engrossing and incredibly interesting. This film leaves the viewer wondering about the lives of other soldiers in the middle east and the simple monotony of their daily lives. Definitely the top on my list of modern war films.
Rated 01 Dec 2010
5
0th
Their unsentimental portraits of platoon life match harsh deployment to fast, gentle camaraderie.
Rated 22 Dec 2012
40
26th
I don't know what the aim of this doc was, but if making the soldiers involved look shambolic and immature was on the remit it works a treat. Some real drama in flashes, but it's never taken by the scruff of the neck by the director or editor. Yeah it's a horrible job and rather them in that situation than me, but the guys just got on my nerves. They might not be bad people but they're stupid, mouthy and unprofessional: if anyone has to get shot at for a living I'm glad it's blokes like this.
Rated 23 Mar 2014
86
87th
86.000
Rated 12 Dec 2010
90
88th
An excellent film following one platoon serving in Afghanistan. The film offers a good picture of the camaraderie built out of mutual uncertainty and dependence. It also reveals the raw truths about what life on the front lines looks like. There's a certain sense of futility to the whole mission--we never get a good look at the enemy--that raises questions in my mind about the mission overall. That said, the real strength of the film is its ability to capture a human portrait of these men.
Rated 22 Dec 2010
69
50th
it's a great effort by the filmmakers, and the some parts of the result is impressive. But still it lacks of originality.
Rated 28 Dec 2010
5
43rd
Lacks something that makes it stand from the pack. The circumstance isn't all that hard hitting either. Just okay.
Rated 01 Feb 2011
75
56th
Certainly better than those faux-realistic war movies like Redacted. It just lacks that certain something that would make it stick to you.
Rated 03 Feb 2011
70
82nd
A much higher quality documentary than the recent Armadillo, Unfortunately they appear to be fighting shadows as not once do you see any taliban dead or alive. You do see the innocent families including children dead and maimed. This bares a true message of war, they were clearly broken and demoralized and to rub salt in thier wounds all they fought for was a wasfor nothing as the US pulled out of the region in 2010.
Rated 12 Jun 2017
93
78th
A-
Rated 05 Mar 2011
70
77th
Am in the process of rewatching 'Carrier' and wanted to see another type of documentary about the armed forces and I picked the right one. Good doc.
Rated 10 Dec 2010
10
92nd
Restrepo was an incredible documentary. Captured some true, honest human emotions. They left the politics out. No mention of the morality of war. Just a great group of soldiers being filmed on their 15 month deployment to one of the most dangerous places in the world, Korangal Valley, Afghanistan.
Rated 11 Jun 2011
60
65th
What I learned from this movie: If a cow gets caught in barbed wire, have steaks.
Rated 15 Sep 2012
45
62nd
I love direct cinema, and Restrepo is well and fairly made. I cannot say I connected with the characters or really felt educated, but if you have any interest in the ground level of our current conflicts and want a personal introduction, this is a good choice.
Rated 10 Jan 2011
65
56th
found armadillo more interesting
Rated 22 Jan 2011
88
87th
88.000
Rated 26 Dec 2010
97
91st
This isn't objective - it definitely represents the views of its subjects. However, I think that this viewpoint is exactly what this documentary called for. It examines a subject, presents its outlook on its situation, and invites the viewers to draw their own conclusions. Simple in practice, but executed at great personal risk of both subject and cinematographer. Very well done.
Rated 09 Jan 2019
26
16th
I was surprised at how disappointed I was in this. Largely it is because I am not a fan of the cinema vérité approach, although it has its value, as when we see the moment when soldiers react to the death of a comrade in action.
Rated 12 Aug 2020
59
17th
Feels like Junger and Hetherington were hoping that a year spent with this troop in Afghanistan would create enough inherent dramatic fireworks to not require a plan or overarching point of view - the first hand view is compelling for a while, and this story is interesting for the way it fits into the larger picture of America's foreign policies, but there doesn't appear to be any more substance to this than "war is hell" - a message clearly conveyed more powerfully in other films.
Rated 06 Jun 2020
65
40th
Metallica sang it perfectly: "For a hill, men would kill. Why? They do not know". It is saddening to see how incomprehensibly useless all effort and sacrifice of everyone involved was. Most bizarre moment was when they are trying to make a good impression on the locals and then end up killing civilians and children.
Rated 18 Aug 2021
65
41st
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