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el_kab0ng
03-15-2005, 01:25 AM
GP opened in the Dallas, Texas area last Friday and runs through this Thursday. For those of you who are local, this might be your one chance to see it before it fades into indie film history. It's screening at the Angelikas off Legacy and Bishop and the one off Mockingbird.

Short Review:

First of all, I have to say that this film gives you a weird feeling in your gut from the get go. Anyone who's ever been to a foreign country (such as Mexico, Columbia, etc) will know the feeling I'm talking about. It's the feeling you get when you're in a strange land and everyone seems to be sizing you up for a fight. That's the sensation I felt for the troopers over there during the film. Everyone was out to get them.. and all you had was your weapon and the guy to your left and right. Kids who were smiling one minute are spitting and throwing rocks at you the next.. it's a twilight zone of ****, sand and slugs.

Although I tend to agree with the critics that the film could have benefitted from the use of a decent editor, the order in which the information was presented made sense if you happened to have read the diaries on gunnerpalace.com before seeing the movie.

The PG-13 rating was a bit off, considering all the F-bomb's that were dropped, but it was that same raw emotion that made the film unique. This was unscripted life through the eyes of "teenage men" fighting a war not for the defense of this country, but for the salvation of another.

Not to spoil it, but I also found it a bit odd that not a single shot was fired throughout the whole movie. The trade off was lot's of good raid footage; although it took a piggyback raid with SF guys to net any assets.

All in all, this was a good indie flick worth seeing... and if you're lucky, you'll get to see the previews for Downfall...which looks to be seriously bad ass!

Gunner Palace was just a reaffirmation of how much my heart goes out to the men and women serving in the sandbox.. keep on trucking and get home safe!

woot

James
03-15-2005, 02:28 AM
The PG-13 rating was a bit off, considering all the F-bomb's that were dropped, but it was that same raw emotion that made the film unique. This was unscripted life through the eyes of "teenage men" fighting a war not for the defense of this country, but for the salvation of another.


I read a review that made an interesting suggestion... if the U.S. Military is allowed to recruit on HS campuses, young men and women age 17 and under deserve to see this film as PG-13. It's reality.

el_kab0ng
03-15-2005, 09:13 AM
Technically young persons under 17 could see this even if it were an R rated movie..they would just have to be accompanied by someone over 17.

oregongrunt
03-15-2005, 10:02 AM
Not to spoil it, but I also found it a bit odd that not a single shot was fired throughout the whole movie. The trade off was lot's of good raid footage; although it took a piggyback raid with SF guys to net any assets.

What type of "combat" movie is it then? If he wanted to see action, the director should go out with the infantry platoons battling to keep the airport road and main supply route open. I was there and we had gunbattles almost on a nightly basis, Vietnam war style.

el_kab0ng
03-15-2005, 02:03 PM
It was what it was.. I guess. Seems more of the action happened off camera (guys getting killed by IED's more than gun battles) than it did on.

The viewer does get to experience the occasional mortar/RPG attack, but even these were off camera impacts.

It's still a good movie to see.. as you get a sense of what daily life must be in a ****hole such as Iraq and how the soldiers there have learned to cope.