The Ground Truth: After the Killing Ends (2006)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Patricia Foulkrod

Writer:

Patricia Foulkrod (writer)

Genre:

Documentary | War

Plot:

The filmmaker's subjects are patriotic young Americans - ordinary men and women who heeded the call for military service in Iraq...

Plot Keywords:

Military | Anti War | Vulgarity | Post Combat Stress | Psychology

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Robert Acosta	...	Himself
Kelly Dougherty	...	Herself
Patricia Foulkrod	...	Host / Interviewer
Nickie Huze	...	Herself
Sean Huze	...	Himself
Denver Jones	...	Himself
Joyce Lucey	...	Herself
Kevin Lucey	...	Himself
Jackie Massey	...	Herself
Jimmy Massey	...	Himself
Demond Mullins	...	Himself
Herold Noel	...	Himself
Chad Reiber	...	Himself
Paul Rieckhoff	...	Himself
Steve Robinson	...	Himself
Robert Scaer	...	Himself

Also Known As:

The Ground Truth (USA) (new title)
The Ground Truth: The Human Cost of War (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for disturbing violent content, and language.

Runtime:

USA:72 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:MA (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Asheville, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Plum Pictures

Movie Connections:

References Top Gun (1986)

Soundtrack:

Mary

Unfortunately it was like watching a sequel...

That is no criticism of the film, but rather a comment on how blind we are to our own past.

I recently watched Winter Soldier, and The Ground Truth was like watching a remake or sequel-- except it was about Iraq rather than Vietnam. Similar to Winter Soldier because of it's one-sided message, both films illustrate how gleefully we rush to engage in conflicts based on false pretenses, and allow our young and brave (and often naive) to bear the brunt of this greedy war profiteering. Both films effectively show that the mentality forced into the minds of the young and willing make them efficient killing machines, but the training falls woefully short of teaching the diplomatic and policing skills necessary to effectively win the hearts and minds of the people they're supposedly fighting for. This is ultimately what lost the war in Vietnam, and will likely lose the war in Iraq as well.

My only negative comment is that the film is so one-sided it could be easily passed off as left- wing propaganda. Not by me, mind you, but by those aiming to discredit the film and message. A more balanced point of view would speak to a larger audience.