The opening part of the series tells the story of a close-knit group of friends from 3 Platoon, 1st Battalion Royal Anglian regiment, who were sent to Helmand province in 2007. The whole tour was filmed by the platoon’s sergeant, who captured the moment when one of his men, 19-year-old Private Chris Gray, was killed in a Taliban ambush. The second follows 1st Battalion, the Grenadier Guards, and captures events surrounding the loss of Private Jamie Janes, who stood on a landmine during a patrol. During this time the Taliban shifted their tactics relying more on the use of IED’s making them a more deadly and elusive foe. In the final episode, Private Mike McCabe films intense Taliban attacks on 2nd Battalion, the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment in 2009 as the platoon comes to terms with new rules of fighting intended to protect civilians labelled ‘courageous restraint.’ By 2010, the Scots Guards are fighting a battle for hearts and minds, and the cameras capture their struggle to curb the Afghan National Police’s reckless behaviour.

Our War is at times quite raw and emotional, many people who watch it come away with a greater respect for those involved and a deeper understanding of the sacrifices they have made. In classically British style Our War manages to put forth quite a balanced point of view. It doesn’t intend to push an agenda one way or another instead it informs and immerses. This is one of my favourite documentary series which achieves that delicate balance between raw emotion, exhilarating action and informative documentation. A brilliant series that is essential viewing.

Thanks to Ryan AKA ‘aeRoDy1′ for telling me about this brilliant documentary series. Good job!

Blitz street is one of those documentaries that gets you just that little bit closer to understanding what it was like beyond the removed, grainy black and white footage we are used to. You really begin to understand the horror and immense power of bombs.

Blitz street is like a combination of Mythbusters and Battlefield Detectives. There’s enough personal accounts and historical content to inform you then there is plenty of scientific content aswell for all the science fans. The visual spectacle of buildings being blown up is enough in itself to hold your attention. Well worth checking out!

Buy Blitz Street – CLICK HERE

Danish filmmaker Janus Metz’s follows Danish soldiers during their 6 month tour of Afghanistan at FOB Armadillo. The film caused quite a stir in Denmark because it shows footage of soldiers killing Taliban and boasting about it afterwards, forcing the Danish military to ‘review’ its rules of engagement and acceptable behaviour in a combat zone.

Personally I think that those who were offended are simply naive to the nature of combat and how people act in such an environment. There is a buzz that inevitably comes with killing the enemy. Your alive, your buddies are alive and there are less enemy shooting at you or planting IED’s. It is their job after all and what they are trained to do. Some may find parts of the film disturbing but don’t let that scare you off. It is an incredibly good documentary.

One thing that I noticed instantly about this film is how slick it is. Its beautifully shot and edited. It has a movie quality to it, so much so that sometimes you forget that it is in fact a documentary and these people are real! The cinematographer has been involved with successful movies so its no surprise how clean and punchy it looks. I was quite impressed. If I had to have one beef it would be the colour filter used. Although it has a stylised effect sometimes it removed me from the reality of the scene. Having said that it is still quite attractive and immersive.

The film is full of action and you really get close to the main characters and their families. That is important to me and makes for a more engaging experience. It is a feature length film and is quite well balanced. Its like a Danish version of Restrepo and in some way it outperforms it. Don’t let the subtitles scare you off because after a few minutes your sucked right into the drama and forget that your reading subtitles. Besides, its refreshing to see the Afghanistan conflict from a perspective other than that of the USA and Great Britain.

Buy Armadillo – CLICK HERE

Off to War is a 10 episode documentary following the Arkansas National Guard and their tour of Iraq in 2005. More closely the film follows men from Clarkson Arkansas and the families they leave behind.

This film is not your classic action packed, blood n guts war documentary. Although it does contain its fair share of action it is more about the people involved. With seven and a half hours of footage you really get a chance to get to know everyone in the film intimately.

The first thing that struck me about this film is that these soldiers were just ordinary blue collar folks. As National Guard engineers their role up until that point was to help out when there was a flood or bad storm, their training never tailored for a conflict as serious as Iraq. Many of them were overweight, in their 40s and 50s or very young and fresh out of school, blissfully unaware of what they were about to face. You get the sense that they really aren’t very well prepared for the mission. One soldier said, ‘they say you should train for the worst and hope for the best, but we trained for the best and the worst happened.’

In 2004 after the invasion of Iraq was complete there was a lull in the violence. For the men of the Arkansas National Guard it seemed like it was going to be yet another peace keeping occupation. Upon arriving in Baghdad their naivety became short lived as men died and as the violence in the country increased dramatically.

Right from the beginning you worry for the characters in the film. It is that intimate. You worry for their safety, you worry for their families back home. When they are on patrol you feel extra anxiety and hope they get back to base ok. By the end of the film I felt like I personally knew these people. That is why I love this documentary so much and why it is one of my favourites. I am yet to find a war documentary this intimate and that is a shame.

I wouldn’t feel at all comfortable uploading this film because I have a lot of respect for its creators. At $20 you get over 7 hours of footage plus hours of audio commentary . Great value for a great series. A hidden gem I hope you get the chance to enjoy.

Buy Off to War – CLICK HERE

This film challenges many common beliefs surrounding the psychology of war. It shows war to be a multi-faceted experience containing a wide range of emotions where horror can be punctuated by extreme pleasure and elation. “If war was hell and only hell and there were no other colors in the palate… I don’t think people would continue to make war,” -Michael Herr

The most fascinating man interviewed is Michael Herr who wrote ‘Dispatches’ and the screenplays for Full Metal Jacket and Apocalypse Now – two of the best Vietnam war films ever made. A softly spoken and quietly creepy man, Michael Herr talks about the seductive beauty of war . It is for this reason that I think this film may not be for everyone. It is disturbing yet at the time strangely hypnotic and intoxicating in the same way as Apocalypse Now. Maybe war is the same? It is repulsive, yet attractive at the same time. While watching this I was reminded of Colonel Kurtz’s quote in Apocalypse Now: ‘I watched a snail crawl along the edge of a straight razor. That’s my dream. That’s my nightmare. Crawling, slithering along the edge of a straight razor… and surviving…’

Why are we attracted to things that scare us? Why do peaceful people have a gross fascination with violence and horror? Does it take a certain type of person to kill another man or given the right circumstance are we all capable of it? Are our primitive instincts learnt or inherent? I think many people don’t understand why adventurers jump out of planes or mountaineers climb peaks that have claimed hundreds of lives. There is a clarity in a life or death situation, it is powerful, seductive, and fatally addictive.

This documentary is a journey into the heart of darkness and is unlike any war documentary I have seen.

The mountainous region of the Korengal Valley was considered the most dangerous posting in the military.    Bordering Pakistan, Mujahedeen fighters were never in short supply.  Men posted to the Korengal outpost ‘The KOP’ were in engaged in firefights daily, and were responsible for 70% of air ordnance used throughout Afghanistan in 2007.  CNN dubbed the Korengal ‘the deadliest place on earth.’   Their task was to provide a security presence in the area so that a road could be built connecting local towns.  An attempt at stimulating the local economy and to win the hearts and minds of the people.

The standout character in Restrepo is Captain Dan Kearney.  An engaging man with immense presence and whose interviews are a highlight of the film.  When Battle Company arrived in May 2007 at the KOP they found themselves in a very exposed position. At times subjected to 360 degree contacts with the enemy.  Frustrated, Kearney made an aggressive move, ordering his men to take a neighbouring hill the enemy had been using as a strongpoint and  create a new OP.  Filling sand bags and Hesco barriers for protection the men endured 4-5 fire fights a day.   This bold move
changed the dynamic of the battlefield completely.  They named the new outpost OP Restrepo after Juan ‘Doc’ Restrepo who died early in the deployment.

Restrepo is a feature length documentary which allows you to immerse yourself in the Korengal as much as an outsider can, and gives you plenty of time to get to know the characters of Second Platoon.  As you can imagine, the film is packed full of action.  From an IED blast to A-10 gun runs it has it all.  It has a beautiful blend of action, quiet times on the OP, humour and sombre reality.  It doesn’t overwhelm you with emotion, or overstimulate you with action.   Restrepo is a ride any enthusiast has to experience and it is a joy that I can share it with you.

Buy Restrepo – CLICK HERE

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.