The War Tapes

It has some interesting and moving parts of course. But mostly consists of the things & events we already know.

Bazzi is like the real life Josh Ray Person from Generation Kill. TWT covers the backend gears of the Iraq war in action (highlighted by the septic tank convoy) with the soldiers battlefield-gossip and reactions caught on tape. This war is probably the 1st filmed by its own belligerents. Soon we will have all war-men cam'd up & streamed back to homeland in a Truman show style, mostly for the mind-sake of loved ones & the wider communities voyeur/ gambling needs.

Honestly this isn't anything we don't already know about but what is completely new about it is the perspective: completely from the soldier's point of view. It paints a refreshing picture from the stereotype of the ignorant American solider. The people here are intelligent and although we may not agree with their opinions we can certainly respect them, which was the point of the film rather than telling the viewer what they should think like so many Iraq documentaries do.

One of my favorite docs of the decade, and definitely the best about the Iraq War. It's not even that well put together, but it doesn't matter, because that makes it all the more real. It's truly amazing to see the personalities of these different soldiers mold around both the event and aftermath of war. Very compelling.

"Obligatory scenes with unhappy girlfriends, wives, and mothers waiting for their loved ones at home don't have the same impact as the film's uniquely personal perspective on American progress (or lack thereof) in Iraq." - Nick Schager