Generation Kill ended its short run last week, so now seems like a good time to talk about it. In the most simplest terms,
Generation Kill is like
Band of Brothers, except it's set in modern Iraq. That's not 100% accurate, but it's close enough;
Generation Kill attempts to show what it's like for soldiers over in the Middle East and it succeeds. It's an incredibly authentic look into the reality of modern warfare and yeah, of course, it's all very entertaining.
A 7-part miniseries,
Generation Kill depicts the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion's journey in "Operation Iraqi Freedom", all the way up to the invasion of Baghdad. The cast is mostly made up of unknowns, increasing the authenticity. They're all excellent, especially Alexander Skarsgård, who plays Sgt. Brad "Iceman" Colbert. Brad's depicted as a calm and extremely intelligent military man, and Skarsgård's stoic performance really amplifies those qualities. He and his soldiers is what makes the core of
Generation Kill. The banter between these men creates an immense sense of camaraderie and you'll genuinely care for their well being, too.
Generation Kill also has a strict adherence to realism, refusing to sugarcoat or amp scenes for wider appeal. Not much of a surprise, since the creators of
The Wire co-wrote the miniseries. You'll see the sheer ineptitude from commanders and generals, forcing soldiers to go into terribly planned missions. 1st Recon blasts through a city, being assaulted by enemy fire. What happens next? The higher ups order tanks to role into the city right after. 1st Recon is sent to check a minefield. At night. The incompetence of command threatens the team more than the Iraqis themselves. It came as a surprise to me at least, and it created interesting drama, as I saw soldiers being absolutely bewildered and flabbergasted by the stupidity of command.
Each episode is wrought with one tragic accident or miscommunication after another, seriously affecting the troops. Accidental killing of civilians, bombs reigning down hell on unsuspecting towns and huts due to huge errors. It's all tragic. It's clear many of the less gung-ho soldiers want to pass it off as a side effect of the war, but it hits their psyches hard. Characters develop due to trauma and frustration and how they deal with it all. Yeah, that's pretty sad, but it sure made me want to keep watching.
Production values are very, very high for all seven episodes. Besides the obvious CG air units, it looks like shiploads of money were poured into this project. It never feels like the show wasn't filmed in Iraq. Well, maybe it was, I'm not sure. It's that good. It all just reeks of a high-budget production. You won't have to suspend your disbelief, that's for sure.
Generation Kill isn't a very action-heavy show, which seems realistic, since in reality, combat makes up 5% of a soldier life on duty. The other 95% is just full of boring downtime. The action that is in
Generation Kill isn't particularly all that thrilling, compared to something like
Black Hawk Down. I also had a couple problems with some minor characters, who fell into really obvious and a bit annoying stereotypes. Still, problems like those aren't enough to seriously make a dent on the show's armor.
Generation Kill offers an insightful look into this futile war and how the men and women involved in this conflict are affected by it.
Generation Kill is frickin' good. Watch it.
9.0/10
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