War movies about OEF/OIF

I just started with making a small list
not much but whatever

Movies
- The Hurt Locker
- Green Zone
- The Four Horsemen
- Dear John,



Series
- Generation Kill

I am going to be a real buzz kill here, but don't get me started on the The Turd Locker Took me a long while to finally watch it, and when I did, I had a real difficult time not putting my remote control through the TV. Even my oldest son was like "wtf, really?? Watched it once to see what the hoopla was all about, won't ever watch it again.

War movies are fun to watch (even if just for the inaccuracies) but if you're really interested in these conflicts, watch some of the documentaries by embedded journalists. There have been quite a few decent documentaries to come out of the OEF/OIF conflicts.

I can't say that all politics has been kept out of them 100%, but most of the films I have seen regarding these conflicts actually do a fairly good job of depicting the combat zone, life in it, and the general nature of war and what it entails (camaraderie, emotions, etc.) without a significant slant for or against the war.

While it's not a movie, journalist Michael Yon has some excellent dispatches on the war in Afghanistan. He has been on several overseas embeds (2 Rifles, USAF CSAR, etc.) and each one turns out better than the next. He respects the troops, but keeps politics out of it; the troops he has gone on embeds with like his reporting and enjoy his company, a feeling many "political" reporters in combat zones don't experience. His dispatches are easily available online if you do a search for him.

Ben wrote:

I can't say that all politics has been kept out of them 100%, but most of the films I have seen regarding these conflicts actually do a fairly good job of depicting the combat zone, life in it, and the general nature of war and what it entails (camaraderie, emotions, etc.) without a significant slant for or against the war.

Ben my brother, not to be a prick towards you, but by what first hand experience do you make this statement? Which movies?

Mike, sorry for the confusion. By films I meant documentaries. By no means was my previous post meant to imply I've been there/done that, because I haven't. Again, my apologies for any confusion it may have created.

I should clarify: I meant that of the documentaries I have seen, the coverage of life while deployed (conveyed through the documentaries) was consistent with first-hand accounts I have heard recollected by friends and colleagues of mine who have done a tour or two in Iraq or Afghanistan. What I was trying to say is that the well-made documentaries (unlike big-budget Hollywood films) didn't seem to present some kind of idealised portrayal of war, inject some kind of harsh in-your-face political message, or attempt to candy-coat what's really going on over there.

The documentary that I think best illustrates this is "Restrepo". It offered a view into the chaos and unpredictability of a warzone. I can't really describe it, watching those guys fighting it out was like a glimpse of pure hell.

On a lighter note, and on the subject of factual documentaries,that do not glorify the war on terror, in a "Hollywood style", check this out!!!


http://www.yourdiscovery.com/web/frontline-battle-machines/



Gary