The War Tapes (2006) User Reviews

Truth being told...

[AndrewRobertsVoice · 8/10 · 16 July 2006]

Keeping in mind that generally speaking, there are THREE sides to every story, his side, her side and the way it really is...and all of them are the 'truth'. That said, 'The War Tapes' was, to me, a confirmation of many truths I already knew and or suspected. I feel this film ought to be shown to every High School and college senior class.

TRUTH be told, war mongers and profiteers and their staunch supporters will more than likely dislike this film and probably call it anti-war 'propaganda'. 'The War Tapes' is not a masterpiece of film-making like Robert Altman's 1970 film 'M*A*S*H', Kubricks's 1957 film 'Paths of Glory' or Sam Peckinpah's final masterpiece from 1977, 'Cross of Iron' the video tape shot for this documentary doesn't lie. While this revealing film has that homemade shaky look, and not very clear footage of the gruesome fire fights and long shots of explosions after the 'boom' only adds to the films authenticity in a 'you are there' kind of way.

For hearing and seeing the soldiers explaining, specifically, their duties were to escort Halliburton's convoys of 18 wheeler's deliver profitable merchandise from point A to point B reminded me of 'fraud, waste and abuse' of American tax payers' money. It's so appalling that the soldiers get paid a little over $17,000 annually and the Halliburton drivers get paid over $120,000 annually made me vomit in my popcorn bag. Sadly, it was not pointed out that Halliburton gets paid by US, we the people, via the Federal Taxes we pay. It's even sadder that the film doesn't go into what kind of kick backs former Halliburton executive, our fearless Vice President 'tricky' Dick Cheney (who never once served in the military) gets funneled to his 'off-shore' bank accounts, but that would have to be another film.

'The War Tapes' is a great film for documenting the soldiers' as they are being traumatized for doing 'their job' is among of the sickest and saddest truths of the film, to me. But, it's just great that the 'on base Burger King' has a drive-through window that was widened to accommodate the military Humvees.

I think, I was sadly disappointed that after some of the soldiers cited the attack on US in September 2001 for wanting to go to Iraq, 'The War Tapes' did not point out that of the 19 hijackers on September 11, 2001, ZERO were from Iraq and furthermore, Zero had any ties to Iraq or Saddam Hussein.

A bold photojournalism experiment: soldiers as their own videographers

[roland-104 · 7/10 · 18 October 2006]

Deborah Scranton put digvid cameras in the hands of several members of a New Hampshire National Guard Unit deployed to Iraq early in 2004. She then guided their filming of experiences there, reviewing footage fed back via Internet, responding with tips on improving their photography and complementing the content. The Unit stayed in country for 16 months, and was involved in highly dangerous missions, i.e., the invasion of Fallujah in November, 2004, and escorting supply truck convoys here and there. Scranton distilled 900 hours of tapes to yield this 97 minute film that focuses on the experiences of three soldiers.

The footage succeeds in capturing the unpredictability, fear, chaos and ugliness of war. But the scenes that depict these matters make up just part of the film – the most revealing and unique part. Much of the remaining footage is just so-so, not up to the quality seen in professionally shot docs like Gunner Palace or Iraq in Fragments. Still, Scranton's bold experiment, moving beyond freelance or "embedded" photojournalism to the recruitment of soldier-journalists, is a worthwhile effort. My grades: 6.5/10 (low B) (Seen on 10/12/06)

Good documentary, except for disgusting Zack Bazzi

[jammer11 · 8/10 · 31 October 2006]

I think it was a mistake to put somebody like him on the movie. Producers probably wanted to invest a difference in opinions by letting him in, but if so they happened to be completely off the mark. Was it so hard to find a soldier who is really taking hard deaths of American soldiers (and\or Iraqi civilians) and, although performing his duty, opposes war and therefore Bush? Instead of that they found an unprincipled egoist, whom i cant recall expressing any hard feelings to fallen soldiers or suffering civilians throughout the movie. All he needs there is a combat (his words). He has a respect for insurgents (again nearly a quote). Why? He explains: because situation is no different as if Canada invaded US to overthrow Bush and Americans start defending their country. He missed here all which differ free society from despotism, where despot constantly committing genocide towards controlled population. He missed that considerable part of insurgents are not Iraqi nationals and has no "country-defending" goals. But more important than all he missed that insurgents generally are barbarians who has not a smallest respect for life (including their fellow countrymen), and constantly performing deliberate mass killings of innocent civilians. Could anyone who has a slightest moral feelings miss this last point and therefore feel respect to these maniacs? Not a chance.

All in all the only ones who can appreciate Zack Bazzi's part of movie i guess are those who made hatred to Bush (or to USA for foreigners)their religion, which far surpass any moral or sense of reality. However the major part of the film make it really worth watching.

Powerful Masterpiece.

[AlanTES · 10/10 · 1 May 2006]

I just saw this film at the Tribeca Film Festival and was moved by how compelling it was.

Director Deborah Scranton had an opportunity to become an embedded journalist with a National Guard Unit from New Hampshire deployed to Iraq. She turned down the opportunity, but instead gave cameras to several soldiers who agreed to film their experiences while serving their tour of duty. The images are striking and disturbing. The words of the soldiers are as real and raw as anything I've ever seen. These are men who are facing a deadly enemy every day yet still do their job proudly and professionally. The soldiers do not hold back their views on the war; and those views do differ wildly. Nonetheless, they all believe firmly that no matter the reason why we are there, we must finish the job right. It was also a special treat to watch the audience give them a several minute standing ovation during the Q & A. These are all intelligent and heroic men who sacrifice a great deal. Even more amazing, they reveal their flaws for the camera, and their humanity is even more compelling.

Had the filmmakers merely shown footage of the soldiers, that would have been enough. However, they also took footage of the families during the year these husbands, fathers and sons were gone. The wives, girlfriends and mothers show the viewer that not only are the soldiers sacrificing a great deal, but so are the families. The footage of one mother who escaped a war-torn Lebanon only to see her son go off to war as a volunteer was absolutely heart wrenching. I would challenge anyone not to cry at that scene, and many others. Most movies invoke emotion by a good story or good acting. This story is real and the people are real, and that is what makes it so overwhelmingly powerful.

Honestly, I had expected this film to be an anti-war or Bush-bashing screed but the film is both political and non-political. No matter how one feels about the war, this film will make their views even stronger.

This film deserves critical acclaim. More importantly, this film deserves to be watched by as many people as possible.

A singularly authentic portrait

[JohnDeSando · 9 August 2006]

In The War Tapes documentary, Sgt. Zack Bazzi, who speaks Arabic, says in his videotaped section, "A good American will always love his country and be suspicious of his government." Although I usually look for criticism of the Iraqi debacle, this statement isn't a criticism of neocons but a sincere, self-protective code of behavior.

Three National Guardsmen were given cameras in 2004 to film their personal points of view one year after the beginning of the conflict. The result is a mixture of grunt humor, often better than anything scripted, and unsettling danger, where the cry of one narrator, ''This is the most helpless feeling you've ever had,'' rings solidly true as you feel the awful omnipresence of improvised explosive devices but never see them.

Ditto the enemy, whose face is seen only on a mangled body but almost never on the battlefield of the deadly road to the Baghdad airport or the dark streets of Fallujah. There the IED's rule in their phantom terror. The documentary brings to the screen the reality of all war from those who know it best, the foot soldiers.

As in most war films, there must be cuts to grieving or lonesome loved ones stateside, in this case rural New Hampshire. The histrionics of the usual Hollywood melodrama are absent; instead a mother, a wife, and a lover try to deal with the often unclear reasons why these men went to this war and how, upon their return, their relationships can ever return to normal because of the inevitable trauma.

I was pleased, however, to see the three videographers quietly disdain having to play security guards for the civilian contractor KBR, Inc., a subsidiary of Dick Cheney's Halliburton. That these contractors are the ones to profit from the war at the expense of the American people is a fair inference from the soldiers' commentary.

So The War Tapes becomes, to my simultaneous approval and disappointment, not a screed against an unjust war, but a singularly authentic portrait of the troubled heroes who make it work.

Give credit where it is due!

[trekkie_99 · 10/10 · 14 December 2006]

The movie reopened some really deep wounds for me. I was in fact one of the guys in Iraq with the unit that filmed this. It is unfortunate that the Executives refused to recognize the unit as a whole. If it weren't for all 180 of us in Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 172 Infantry (Mountain), Scranton-Lacy would not have had the opportunity to get this documentary into the theaters. Let's give credit where credit is due. To my "Brothers-In-Arms" A job well done!!!! And yes, I did feel that the movie was great, all I can say is, DOWN WITH THE MEDIA!!!! They can't report the news, even when their lives depend on it. Here is to the TRUE heroes of the Military!

Best first hand experience I have seen about Iraq

[georgefoman · 10/10 · 10 December 2006]

I have seen a lot of the other documentaries that have come out, gunners palace was good, but this film really captured what soldiers roles were and what they were being forced to protect.

The story goes from pre deployment to post deployment which focuses on a few soldiers lives and families as well.

The film also spotlights where the money is being made in Iraq. Either way, if you care about the war in Iraq, I would strongly suggest watching this film.

Again, it is providing us with another point of view needed to understand whats going on. Great Film.

Has The Ring Of Truth. Look Out Jake Gyllenhaal, Zack Bazz Has Great Camera Presence.

[Michael-70 · 9/10 · 29 August 2006]

Not even the fiercest opponent of the War in Iraq has anything but praise for the men and women in our military over there doing a tough job. As a Veteran, I support the troops. I support them so much, I don't want to see a single one killed or injured for bogus reasons.

With that in mind, I have to say I was very impressed with this film. The War Tapes is put together from footage shot by real soldiers on the ground doing the day-to-day jobs that soldiers do. Only here, it seems they spend much of their time providing back up support for civilian KBR/Halliburton employees who make five times what they are paid.

Why have an Army Private drive a supply truck for $20,000 a year when you can hire a Halliburton guy to drive it for $100,000? And no, Vice President Dick Cheney (former CEO of Halliburton) had nothing to do with the company getting lucrative "no bid" contracts in Iraq. How on earth is that even possible? The candor of the three men who provide the focus of the narrative is refreshing. I agree with them, this is a war for oil. And, if oil is not worth fighting for, then what is? But don't try and sell the bull that this is for democracy.

This film is comprised of footage these men took during the year (2004) of their deployment. Fortunately, all of them return to the USA without any injuries, but there is evident psychological damage in two of them. Mike Moriarty and Steve Pink seemed to be fairly closed off, emotionally scared men before going into the Army; I don't think the Army made them that way; although Iraq may have exacerbated their nascent problems. They seem to come from that school of male behavior that says that anything resembling a feeling must be repressed, lest it be considered feminine. But they are so wrong. At least Steve Pink gets his feelings out in his writing. Indeed his descriptions of what he sees that we hear in letters sent home are very literary, with imaginative allusions and they surpass what most professional journalists write.

My favorite guy in this group is Zack Bazz, who was born in Lebanon, came to America when he was ten and speaks Arabic. He at least has an understanding of the Arab culture and he is frequently called in to translate for difficult situations. He has beautiful dark eyes, full bushy eyebrows and a sweet open smile. Are you paying attention Hollywood? If Audie Murphy can become a film star after WW2, than Zack Bazz could be one when he's done in Iraq. I don't know if the guy can act, but he certainly has camera presence. When he's on screen, you don't notice anyone else.

I like how Bazz also explains the insurgency. As he says, if Canada had invaded the USA after the 2000 elections claiming that Bush and company stole the election (a reasonable belief), it would not be unreasonable for gangs of Bush supporters to take to the hills with their weapons and fight back. So you see, Bush supporters and Saddam supporters are a lot closer than you might think.

One odd thing occurs, Mike Moriarty says something that puzzles me. Explaining how he felt after 9/11, he claims that he felt totally frustrated. We then see some home video footage Moriarty shot on September 28, 2001 of the still smoking ruins of the World Trade Center. Moriarty then claims he immediately went to his Army recruiter and asked specifically to be put into a unit being sent to Iraq.

This was in September of 2001. Not even George Bush was touting Iraq as a cause for 9/11 that early. Did this happen the way it is shown or was this just some unclear film editing? How did Mike Moriarty know in September of 2001 that he needed to go to Iraq? Bush himself has since admitted that there was no connection between Iraq and 9/11, so is this just a mistake or what? If anyone has an answer for this please let me know, because it struck me as being a false note in a film that generally has the ring of truth.

Brought to you by the US Army

[gershu_ar · 2/10 · 31 January 2023]

You have to be American to understand, "enjoy" and even go as far as call this "documentary" a "masterpiece".

The film starts with a voiceover stating "I want to kill" in the lips of one of the "documentary's" protagonist. A speech that demonstrates the level of psychopathy soldiers manage and why they're also probably recruited. They are so eager to kill they don't even care who they're going to kill.

Despite it has been proved many times that Iraq -nor anyone near Iraq- had absolutely nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks, the soldiers justify themselves in the film by going there to get some revenge and so does a documentary who's missing any explanation or clarification whatsoever of the political, military and social context all the killings in the film happen.

If your country gets invaded, of course you're going to grab a rifle and defend yourself. Basically, the film takes record of the invading side illegally killing the invaded side in a context where no formal war declaration ever took place in a gross invasion of a foreign sovereign country.

Film offers very little value in terms of information, it's extremely biased, full of symbols and propaganda. It's also full of cheesy moments with the soldier's family and how good American life is, painting the "enemy" as crude animals who have no feelings, nor family themselves and live in a dump. As always with US war films about 9/11, only one side of the story is ever told and reality is molded to suit the needs.

You could easily say this is a documentary about war crimes and how nobody in the world (except the Iraqis) cared.

Films gets 2 stars because someone took the job of editing all this propaganda together.

A Band Of Brothers

[valis1949 · 9/10 · 9 March 2009]

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.

This documentary hits like a truck

[jwv-823-79715 · 10/10 · 6 January 2014]

I very much like the idea of this kind of soldier-journalism. What I found particularly useful is the short introduction of every soldier filming. There's the immensely patriotic Mike Moriarty, the intelligent Zack Bazzi and then there's Steve Pink. It's interesting to see how the ideology and personality of each of these soldiers colours their journalism. I liked the parts of Zack best, he's not as ignorant and influenced as other soldiers and understands the problems the army has. He's a sharp analyst. What the army needs, as Zack rightly sees, is a cultural training before being shipped off to an unknown country.

When you have met the sensible and intelligent Zack, its hard to feel any sympathy for the average ignorant, patriotic American soldier, like when Moriarty and one of his friends criticizes Zack for socializing with the local people. Even though he puts his life on the line for his American home country, they still treat him as an outsider, which show their extreme ignorance and intolerance. "Today we kill Bazzi, and everyone that looks like Bazzi. That makes for a lot of targets today."

Steven Pink also brightens up this documentary by his writing. He too, sees the ignorance and barbarism of his fellow soldiers. "The debate we had earlier in the day over the consistency and texture of a severed limb was not some far-off grotesque assumption. It was a genuine argument between the guy who swears it resembles hamburger, ground up but uncooked, and the guy who believes it looks more like a raw pot roast." The film features some emotionally strong and violent scenes that you would be able to see anywhere else on the mainstream media. Not for the faint of heart.

Ultimately, even the ever so patriotic Moriarty begins to question the true motives for the war. Moriarty: "I feel like the priority of KBR (Burger King) making money outweighs the priority of safety." When the soldiers' deployment in Iraq ends, the film also looks at how the soldiers cope back home with the traumatic experience they went through. Hell and Back Again is a complementary must-see if you're interested in this.

The strength of this documentary lies in the directness of the account of these soldiers. A great deal of the film's intellectual thought provoking strength comes from the account of Zack Bazzi. For me, he is really the one that elevated the documentary to its intellectual level, and provided the documentary makers with what they were really looking after.

"I love being a soldier, the only bad thing about the army is that you can't pick your war." - Zack Bazzi

My review/experience of the movie (from a non American)

[6T3_Roady · 10/10 · 3 November 2006]

Not being an American and not really knowing much about the politics surrounding the war, but also not feeling strongly one way or the other about the USA's deployment there, really helped me to understand the soldiers viewpoints, personal feelings and fears portrayed within this 'movie'.

I can express nothing but respect for these men for the things they saw and experiences they had.

On a personal level i'm still unsure if the war in Iraq is right or moral but i feel that isn't the issue, whats done is done and the only aim now should be bringing stability to those peoples in such a way they can make their own futures.

An excellent insightful documentary which is not biased or 'sugar coated' making it a very raw and sometimes shocking experience to watch and i hope it strikes each person who watches it in their own way really making them think - away from the political aims/games the media portrays for us.

Read how this documentary was made before watching it

[JustHavingALook · 9/10 · 26 December 2022]

Let me repeat it here: do yourself a favor and read how this documentary was made before watching it. It will enhance your experience by 1000s.

Just consider this: the editing team got some 800 hours of footage.

Hours, not minutes, mind you.

First hand footage from real soldiers deployed to Iraq. No camera operators with decades of experience, no skilled directors able to gently push a certain character to perform a certain way, no audio guy.

The director was able to equip a bunch of soldiers who agreed to get some filmmaking training and record their life on the front. (with the army OKeing everything of course). Those were simple cameras. Camera functioning with tape. Crazy. It seems to me they kind of created a gopro camera before it became mainstream.

The emotions are real, and raw. The footage is brutal as well as the dialogues.

Amazing documentary edited together by extremely talented people.

Must see.

Sad truths of war...

[emrahaktunc · 5/10 · 8 August 2007]

I think it's a great experiment. It's unsympathetically real. One thing though, one of the soldiers with the camera says at one point that if it is going to solve the problem one can use a nuclear weapon. I was really taken aback and horrified by this; I think that nothing, and nothing whatsoever, justifies using nuclear weapons. I understand that this might have been said in a moment of intense anger or fear for one's life, but in all honesty I just cannot get myself to be OK with this. The other thing is that one of the soldiers toward the end of the film says something like you should either suggest a solution to the problem or shut up; so if I think it was a huge mistake to go to Iraq I should not voice that opinion. I, as a person, was genuinely offended by this. We live in a democracy and no one, and I mean no one, has the right to silence others who disagree.

Weekend Warriors Gone Wild

[adhamiya · 4/10 · 2 June 2006]

I don't even know what to say about this film.

Every unit has a different experience in Iraq, but I'm not sure I can say that unit's experience or bearing well represents the Army experience in Iraq. More, I'm not sure I'd want to be rolling with a bunch of guys consumed with filming themselves.

There's also an undercurrent of self-pity in the film--my favorite example is the Sgt with carpal tunnel syndrome. Well, at least he still has a carpal tunnel (or two) to bitch about.

Just one man's opinion.

13 Fox

About As Real As You'll Get.

[Falcon07 · 5/10 · 25 September 2006]

I have an open mind.........but

I gave this a 5 because I don't think this sort of stuff needs to be viewed by the world, fair enough keep it for the soldiers who were there..but no doubt kids will end up seeing this. It will also create more hatred in general, towards the west.

However, I thought this was well put together and gives you a real sense of being there, especially if you plug in your 5.1 and blast that sub woofer ! Some parts are very disturbing (be warned) Watch any other war flick, you know the guys aren't really getting killed..this made some scenes hard to take, together with not-needed comments from the soldiers made me slightly angry.

War is bad enough without some of the bull-S**t chat !

All in all, exciting stuff, but I just felt it was a bunch of American soldiers showing off what they had done, personally I don't think it's a topic to brag about.

A Big NO to war is my opinion, this film just is pretty pro war !