The War Tapes (2006)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Deborah Scranton

Genre:

Documentary | War

Plot:

Called up for service in Iraq, several members of the National Guard were given digital video cameras. This film, edited from their footage, provides a perspective on a complex and troubled conflict.

Plot Keywords:

National Guard | Scorpion | World Trade Center New York | Iraq War | Corpse

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Zack Bazzi	...	Himself
Duncan Domey	...	Himself
Ben Flanders	...	Himself
Mike Moriarty	...	Himself
Steve Pink	...	Himself
Brandon Wilkins	...	Himself

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Arabic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Filming Locations:

Baghdad, Iraq

Company:

SenArt Films

Trivia:

After the soldiers come home, if you look carefully you'll see that one of Mike Moriarity's cars (green pick-up) has the license plate "VBIED".

Quotes:

Zack Bazzi: Every time you hear a boom, somebody is going to heaven.

Movie Connections:

References Planet of the Apes (1968)

A Band Of Brothers

THE WAR TAPES is one of the finest films to come out of Operation Iraqi Freedom. What sets this film apart is that it is the first war movie filmed by soldiers themselves. Sergeant Steve Pink, a college English major before joining The National Guard, and several of his buddies filmed their experiences in the spring of 2004. The arc of the film encompasses the full range of their story; Training, Deployment, Combat, and finally, The Homecoming. Condensing hundreds of hours of unhampered footage, Director Deborah Scranton, and Producer/Editor Steve James (HOOP DREAMS) create ninety-seven minutes of enthralling Film Verite. This is far superior to the weak, and usually partisan, 'embedded' approach to this war. The soldiers very convincingly expound on the wide variety of their political opinions and their differences on the enforcement of our country's foreign policy. One of the men tells of the pervasive influence of Houston, Texas based Halliburton Corporation which operates seemingly without oversight. He says, "Everybody stands to make money the longer that we are there". He goes on to depict and detail a few of these limitless cost over-runs. Could this be one factor in our slow departure from Iraqi? After watching this section of the film it caused me to see, "Support The Troops", in a less than noble light. However, you come away from THE WAR TAPES not with a new vision of how America's geopolitical policy is formed, but rather how this endeavor changed the men who strove to establish it.