Restrepo (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
In 'Restrepo' (a documentary by photojournalists Sebastian Junger & Tim Hetherton), we are taken along with the 2nd Platoon of Battle Compnay, 173rd Airborne Brigade over the course of 15 months for an inside look at our troop's dealings in Afghanistan. The film's title comes from the name of a well-liked 20 yr. old medic who was killed early in the fighting, Pfc. Juan Restrepo; a man whose name was used for the platoon's mountain outpost. As the movie begins, we see home videos of Restrepo hanging out & roughhousing with his fellow brigade en route to Afghanistan; & you can see how much they adore him.
The setting is the treacherous Korengal Valley - as one captain notes, here ... "we are fish in a barrel". 15 men make-up this outpost. And it's widely considered one of the most dangerous postings in US military history (where the Taliban are ever-present). In fact, they're roaming the hills, wives & children, skulking through the topography as they go. There's even one point where the company is ambushed from all around them. That only a couple died was a miracle, in & of itself. This company, led by Capt. Dan Kearney, plan to push back the Taliban by staking claim on their position at night, digging, & building fortifications. By the end of this film, they accomplish (more or less) what they set-out to do. Most of them survive (to tell their tale to us). And lessons are learned.
For the duration of the 91 min. of this film, we never leave the Korengal Valley; so as to make us feel like we were there with the troop - like we could ever relate. We are shown many hazards (coming under fire every day!), some joys (dancing to music), & the after-effects of the deaths (not the deaths, themselves). Probably worse (emotionally), we see the comrades' reactions; the horror in their eyes. Anger, sobbing ... we see & feel their pain. In one of the film's most gut-wrenching scenes, a fellow soldier (considered to be the strongest) has just been killed during the hostile Operation Rock Avalanche, & another soldier, upon hearing the news, loses it -- 'how can the strongest man in this unit die, & we're still alive? Any of us could be next?' - that was the overwhelming sentiment.
One of the more eye-opening parts of this film is when our troops must interact with the poverty-stricken Afghani citizens within the valley. The women are cloaked & worried. And the old, decrepit, toothless men come across as a lot more shrewd & dangerous than what meets the eye. Untrustworthy; manipulative. One old man complains that his cow was taken. Our guys explain that it got caught in razor wire & had to be 'put down'. We offer him the cows the wegith in beans, rice, & sugar. No sell. The Afghani men want $$. Looks can be deceiving. And these men were not foolin' around.
'Restrepo' doesn't have a specific story arc; mostly a series of horrific or mildly amusing events that cover the 15 month period. That format allows for some boring stretches to permeate the film. That's permissible because war ... can be boring. We saw that in Jarhead & The Hurt Locker. So yeah, I wasn't always riveted. But when I was - it magnetic. The bursts of combat/violence that we experience with these guys is something I won't shake for some time. When's the last time you watched a film where you're introduced to men, hear 'em, see 'em, relate, dislike ... and then they may die before the film is over? Crazy stuff.
Probably the most alarming segments of the film include the men talking to the camera, to us, about their experiences. Talking about the fear, the deaths, the return home, etc.. Most of these guys look haunted - scarred - filled with unshakeable dread. They look like shells of who they probably were before being thrust into the war zone. In fact, I'm sure that this movie was named 'Restrepo' because it's what these guys held onto the most - the memory of a young, carefree, very much ALIVE man who joked, strummed on his guitar, & left an everlasting impression on his pals. Ultimately, 'Restrepo' didn't move me emotionally, but offered superb insight into combat & friendship. There's no politics, here … just pure emotion. And watching the soldiers' devotion to duty? Incredible stuff.
The setting is the treacherous Korengal Valley - as one captain notes, here ... "we are fish in a barrel". 15 men make-up this outpost. And it's widely considered one of the most dangerous postings in US military history (where the Taliban are ever-present). In fact, they're roaming the hills, wives & children, skulking through the topography as they go. There's even one point where the company is ambushed from all around them. That only a couple died was a miracle, in & of itself. This company, led by Capt. Dan Kearney, plan to push back the Taliban by staking claim on their position at night, digging, & building fortifications. By the end of this film, they accomplish (more or less) what they set-out to do. Most of them survive (to tell their tale to us). And lessons are learned.
For the duration of the 91 min. of this film, we never leave the Korengal Valley; so as to make us feel like we were there with the troop - like we could ever relate. We are shown many hazards (coming under fire every day!), some joys (dancing to music), & the after-effects of the deaths (not the deaths, themselves). Probably worse (emotionally), we see the comrades' reactions; the horror in their eyes. Anger, sobbing ... we see & feel their pain. In one of the film's most gut-wrenching scenes, a fellow soldier (considered to be the strongest) has just been killed during the hostile Operation Rock Avalanche, & another soldier, upon hearing the news, loses it -- 'how can the strongest man in this unit die, & we're still alive? Any of us could be next?' - that was the overwhelming sentiment.
One of the more eye-opening parts of this film is when our troops must interact with the poverty-stricken Afghani citizens within the valley. The women are cloaked & worried. And the old, decrepit, toothless men come across as a lot more shrewd & dangerous than what meets the eye. Untrustworthy; manipulative. One old man complains that his cow was taken. Our guys explain that it got caught in razor wire & had to be 'put down'. We offer him the cows the wegith in beans, rice, & sugar. No sell. The Afghani men want $$. Looks can be deceiving. And these men were not foolin' around.
'Restrepo' doesn't have a specific story arc; mostly a series of horrific or mildly amusing events that cover the 15 month period. That format allows for some boring stretches to permeate the film. That's permissible because war ... can be boring. We saw that in Jarhead & The Hurt Locker. So yeah, I wasn't always riveted. But when I was - it magnetic. The bursts of combat/violence that we experience with these guys is something I won't shake for some time. When's the last time you watched a film where you're introduced to men, hear 'em, see 'em, relate, dislike ... and then they may die before the film is over? Crazy stuff.
Probably the most alarming segments of the film include the men talking to the camera, to us, about their experiences. Talking about the fear, the deaths, the return home, etc.. Most of these guys look haunted - scarred - filled with unshakeable dread. They look like shells of who they probably were before being thrust into the war zone. In fact, I'm sure that this movie was named 'Restrepo' because it's what these guys held onto the most - the memory of a young, carefree, very much ALIVE man who joked, strummed on his guitar, & left an everlasting impression on his pals. Ultimately, 'Restrepo' didn't move me emotionally, but offered superb insight into combat & friendship. There's no politics, here … just pure emotion. And watching the soldiers' devotion to duty? Incredible stuff.