A raw bunch of Soviet conscripts are drilled into shape on the training ground and dropped into the thick of it in Afghanistan. A big box office hit in Russia this may, like films about the American invasion of Vietnam, be politically naive, but as a war drama it pulls no punchs and, with the possible exception of a silly, poorly edited final battle scene, delivers the goods in superb fashion.
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GENERATION KILL SEASON 1 DISC 1 (2007)
Certification15 Our Rating
'From the people who brought you 'The Wire'; Rolling Stone reporter Evan Wright was embedded with the US Marine Corps 1st Reconnaissance Battalion during 2003, the first year of the second Iraq War. This is his story.
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GENERATION KILL SEASON 1 DISC 3 (2007)
Certification15 Our Rating
The last episode in the first season.
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INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (2009)
Certification15 Our Rating
1941; a Jewish girl witnesses the murder of her family by a Nazi officer and a Jewish American guerrilla team roam Occupied France operating with a Geneva Accord breaking ferocity.
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KATYN (2007)
Certification15 Our Rating
Based on the novel 'Post Mortem: The Story of Katyn' by Andrzej Mularczyk this film tells the horrific story of the 1940 Soviet NKVD's massacre, and subsequent cover-up, of an estimated 22,000, mainly Polish, military officers, police and intellectuals. Rarely does a film about the horrors of organised genocide achieve in its representation such an honest and harrowing account of crimes against humanity.
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LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (2006)
Certification15 Our Rating
The battle of Iwo Jima from an American perspective of the view of Japanese soldiers, eg 'good' Japanese soldiers are those that had had prior contact with the US. Starting with a contemporary archaeological discovery of a box of unsent letters from Japanese soldiers, we flashback to follow the fortunes of individual soldiers and officers through the horrific and unwinnable battle. Much beloved by 'liberal' US critics.........which has to be a lot better than unbeloved by them. Also check out it
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PAN'S LABYRINTH (2006)
Certification18 Our Rating
Guillermo Del Toro's blockbusting tale of a young girl struggling to make sense of the violent world around her was a big 2006 arthouse hit. Continuing his exploration of the impact of the Spanish Civil War on his generation (it was also the backdrop for his excellent ghost story, The Devil's Backbone) Del Toro's fantasy mixes strong horror with fairytale-style aesthetics to great effect, making Ofelia's escape into an imaginary realm a poignant response to the cruel realities of her existence.
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THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK (2007)
CertificationE Our Rating
The Devil Came On Horseback exposes the tragedy taking place in Darfur using the exclusive photographs and first hand testimony of former US Marine Captain Brian Steidle. His is an emotionally charged journey into the heart of Sudan, where an Arab run government is systematically executing a plan to rid the province of its black African citizens. As an official military observer, Steidle had access to parts of the country that no journalist could penetrate. Ultimately frustrated by the inaction
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THE HURT LOCKER (2009)
Certification15 Our Rating
US Army Sergeant Will James, Sergeant JT Sanborn and Specialist Owen Eldridge comprise the Bravo Company's bomb disposal unit and it is their 38 days together in the chaotic and bloody period following the US/UK led occupation of Iraq that we closely follow. Sanborn plays it by the rules, Eldridge is insecure about his soldiering role and James is seen by his colleagues as a dangerously committed loose cannon and a threat to their survival chances. Hurt Locker is a slick, well directed, performe
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