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Armadillo

  • 2010
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
10K
YOUR RATING
Armadillo (2010)
In February 2009 a group of Danish soldiers accompanied by documentary filmmaker Janus Metz arrived at Armadillo, an army base in the southern Afghan province of Helmand. Metz and cameraman Lars Skree spent six months following the lives of young soldiers situated less than a kilometer away from Taliban positions.
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DocumentaryWar

Danish soldiers are sent to Afghanistan in 2009 for 6 months, to help stabilize the country against the Taliban. They're stationed on Armadillo military base in Helman province. Unlike other... Read allDanish soldiers are sent to Afghanistan in 2009 for 6 months, to help stabilize the country against the Taliban. They're stationed on Armadillo military base in Helman province. Unlike other war movies, this is the real deal - no actors.Danish soldiers are sent to Afghanistan in 2009 for 6 months, to help stabilize the country against the Taliban. They're stationed on Armadillo military base in Helman province. Unlike other war movies, this is the real deal - no actors.

  • Director
    • Janus Metz
  • Writer
    • Kasper Torsting
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    10K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Janus Metz
    • Writer
      • Kasper Torsting
    • 30User reviews
    • 85Critic reviews
    • 72Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 10 wins & 18 nominations

    Videos1

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Originally part of a six episode TV series called "Vores krig" by Kasper Torsting.
    • Connections
      Edited into P.O.V.: Armadillo (2011)

    User reviews30

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    One of the most visceral documentaries about combat ever made
    What would make a young man who has just completed a harrowing and brutal six month tour of duty in Afghanistan decide to return for another stint? The answer to that question is puzzling, but it is made a bit clearer by Janus Metz' powerful documentary Armadillo, Gran Prix winner at the Critics Week competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Armadillo, like Restrepo, is named for the military base where the subjects are stationed. The film depicts the bravery and camaraderie and also the addictive high of several Danish soldiers, seemingly just out of their teens, that comes from their participation in the war in Afghanistan.

    Edited by Per K. Kirkegaard, Metz follows the soldiers from their farewell party at home filled with naked strippers to their arrival at base camp, moments of relaxation, briefings by their superiors, times of boredom, and the combat that includes some stomach turning sequences. The camera seems to be ever present and it hardly seems like an understatement to say that the director and cinematographer Lars Skee's lives were as much at risk as the soldiers. The film also demonstrates the plight of the villagers who are afraid of Taliban retribution if they cooperate with coalition forces. Caught in the middle, the Afghan civilians suffer greatly, standing to lose their crops, their animals, and their lives either from NATO forces or from the Taliban.

    What makes it even more distressing, as the film points out, the soldiers cannot distinguish between friend and foe. When one of the soldiers accidentally kills a young girl, all that can be offered is compensation while the Platoon commander tells the soldier that did the killing to shrug it off because these things happen every day. The camera-work is up close and personal and the horrors of war perhaps have never had such an immediate impact. We can see the look on a young soldier's face after he has just been shot and we see decapitated Taliban bodies being pulled from a ditch.

    While the film takes no position either pro-war or anti-war, the inhumanity of war has never been shown more clearly and the soldiers boasting and laughter after obliterating a wounded enemy while high on adrenaline, caused considerable debate about appropriate military behavior back home in Denmark. Depending on your point of view the soldiers are either making a difference or perpetuating atrocities in an unwinnable war. What does become clear, however, is the bond formed by the men and their lack of questioning of their mission. Like adolescents on a drunken rampage, they are excited by the thrill of the moment. We owe Metz a debt of gratitude for showing us the mindless, sadistic, and dehumanizing behavior that war can induce. Armadillo stands as one of the most visceral and frightening documentaries about combat ever made.
    helpful•55
    10
    • howard.schumann
    • Oct 3, 2010

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 27, 2010 (Denmark)
    • Countries of origin
      • Denmark
      • Sweden
    • Official sites
      • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Language
      • Danish
    • Also known as
      • Oklopnik
    • Filming locations
      • Helmand Province, Afghanistan
    • Production company
      • Fridthjof Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,500,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $14,566
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,958
      • Apr 17, 2011
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,018,685
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 45 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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