TV REVIEW: GENERATION KILL [HBO MINISERIES]

"There's macho, there's military macho, and then there's the over-the-top machismo of the Marines. In the HBO miniseries Generation Kill, the seven episodes follow a battalion of Marines as they lead the invasion of Iraq, ultimately rolling into Baghdad itself by the last show. What isn't so easy to distinguish are the characters themselves, except by surface details: This guy has a hoarse voice, this guy is an embedded journalist, this guy is a white supremacist, this guy has a mustache, this guy is an officer obsessed with the other guy's mustache. The problem is that people are ultimately defined by what they do, and soldiers in war are all doing pretty much the same thing: Shooting, swearing, and sitting around as they wait to shoot and swear some more. But Generation Kill isn't aiming for personal identification; the aim is to immerse the viewer in the texture of the experience--which, in this case, is mostly chaos and confusion. Sandstorms are as great a threat as mortar fire; pizza trucks arrive out of nowhere on the brink of a mission, and the rules of engagement keep changing as the goals of the higher-ups grow increasing out-of-synch with the war on the ground. Generation Kill captures the frustration and increasing cynicism of the grunt troops with vivid skill, as their simplistic morality--kill the bad guys!--grows more and more hollow."

MY REVIEW:
I don't normally enjoy movies about War, but I decided to give "Generation Kill" a try based on the high marks other reviewers gave it [plus it stars my favorite TB vampire Alexander Skarsgard]. I was pleasently surprised to find a dense narration of not just the battle but the ennui of soldier-life as they wait to make the next kill. This show has a fabulous cast of unknown actors mixed in with actual Marines which gives it an element of authenticity that many other war movies lack. For me though, the story was not the combat, but the relationships between the commands and between the soldiers that make this miniseries one to watch.


WHAT I LIKED:
- Brad "the Iceman" Colbert. I heard about this miniseries due to the fact that Alex Skarsgard was one of the leads in it. I thought he did a great job of portraying this complex character; on one hand he is the father figure to the "child-like" atmosphere of his platoon, yet he also has to deal with his limitations both as an enlisted man standing up to the officers and to the civilians they want to protect but always can't. He is much more than a pretty face, this role really showcases his superb acting skills as well.

- Ray. He is the crude, rude loudmouth that you just can't help but love. He brings much of the humor to this miniseries and it plays well against the seriousness of the war around them. He has some of the best lines of the whole series and plays perfectly against Colbert's stoic personality.


WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- There's not much to dislike about this miniseries. The only thing I would recommend is to take the time to learn some military jargon and the chains of command they use in the show prior to watching the series. Also, try to match up the character names to faces, because when everyone is dressed in the same military fatigues, it can get confusing in a cast this large to remember who everyone is and how they fit together.

MY RATING:
10/10