Generation Kill (2008)

 

 Today is the 18th anniversary of the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Here is your study guide for the best miniseries on the event.

                    “Generation Kill” is an HBO miniseries based on the nonfiction book by Evan Wright.  Wright was an embedded reporter who traveled with 2^nd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1^st Marine Reconnaissance Battalion during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.  Wright rode in the lead Humvee on the journey to Baghdad.  The book was developed into a series by David Simon of “The Wire”.  He and his writing partner Ed Burns wrote the screenplay, with input from Wright.  The episodes were directed by either Susanna White or Simon Jones.  HBO spent $56 million on the series.  Filming lasted 5 ½ months in South Africa, Mozambique, and Namibia.  The cast was put through a six day boot camp by Rudy Reyes and Eric Kocher.  They both appear in the miniseries, with Reyes playing himself and Kocher playing a different sergeant. 

                    The series opens with a convoy of Humvees traversing the desert and opening fire on an enemy vehicle.  Before you can say “queue flashback”, it turns out that this is pre-invasion and the Marines are on a mock combat exercise.  The scene establishes that these Marines have never been in battle.  The next scene, set in a communal tent, establishes that these men are looking forward to combat with the bravado of frat boys.  Into the salacious banter and horseplay comes a civilian journalist from Rolling Stone (Lee Tergesen).  This outsider (never referred to by name) will accompany Sgt. Colbert’s (Alexander Skarsgard) Humvee on their assigned mission to secure a bridge over the Euphrates.  In the Humvee are the driver Cpl. Person (James Ransone) and Lance Cpl. Trombley (Billy Lusgh).  Person talks nonstop as he is fueled with Ripped Fuel (among other energy sources) and Trombley is a hick who can’t wait to kill someone or something.  Sitting in front of the bemused Wright  is “Iceman” Colbert.  He gets his nickname from being imperturbable, basically the opposite of Person/Trombley.  His catch phrase is “stay frosty.”  The series concentrates on these indelible characters, but several other characters from the platoon are developed and some time is spent with Bravo, and even Alpha Company.

                    The series covers the forty-day journey from their base in Kuwait to Baghdad.  For most of this time the 1^ST Recon Btln. is the tip of the spear for the whole offensive and Colbert’s Humvee is in front.  Although trained for stealthy reconnaissance, Gen. Mattis uses them to poke hives.  He was a disciple of Napoleon’s maxim:  “Toujours l’audace”.  One of the themes of the series is that the unit was given missions that it was ill-suited for and given equipment that was ill-suited for the mission.  The battalion’s commander, Lt. Col. Ferrando (Chance Kelly) buys into Mattis’ risky tactics and pushes the unit to be bold in encountering the enemy, no matter the fact that he is often unsure what the odds will be.  The Marines react with a mixture of enthusiasm and trepidation.   In the most exemplary incident, Ferrando sends the unit to rush an airfield where they are warned they will face tanks.  It works out, so this makes the theme that the higher up the hierarchy you go, the more the incompetence.  The series definitely reinforces the belief that sergeants are the key leaders in the military since Vietnam.  But unlike the Vietnam War movie trope of the green, clueless LT, the problem in Iraq was apparently at the captain level as the series is very harsh on “Encino Man” and “Captain America”. 

                    There is going to be a lot of confusion throughout as the mission keeps changing and so do the rules of engagement.  Long periods of boredom will be punctuated by moments of adrenalin-boosting firefights and rides through ambushes in unarmored Humvees.  In between the bursts of combat, the Marines interact like young Americans on an armed road trip through a foreign country.  The banter and behavior reinforces the ugly American stereotype, but also accurately reflects the generation that was called to service after 9/11.  Contrast it to the Greatest Generation depicted in “Band of Brothers” and you will see how much America has changed.

                    I will not summarize the plot.  (See below for episode synopses.)  The series has a running time of 470 minutes.  If you watch it expecting a lot of combat, you will be disappointed.  The fact is that the invasion of Iraq was a mostly battle-less affair.  The regular Iraqi army put up little opposition, but there were encounters with irregular units and jihadists (which the generals were ill-prepared for).  This partly explains the questionable use of the 1^st Recon.  But in spite of the head-scratching reaction of the grunts, the brazen use of the unit by Mattis and Ferrando works and with shockingly low casualties.  One is left to wonder if Colbert and the others were just plain lucky. One thing is clear, the Iraqi fighters are much less competent than the “Black Hawk Down” opponents.  They make “Star Wars” stormtroopers look like sharpshooters.  Although there is a lack of combat, when things heat up, the series is stellar in its staging.  The cinematography is enhanced in the night actions by the look from night-vision goggles.

                    Don’t let the lack of combat discourage you from watching “Generation Kill”.  The acting and dialogue are the draw.  The acting draws parallels to “Band of Brothers”.  The ensemble cast is very strong and several characters have become icons in the Marine community.  The series launched the career of Alexander Skarsgard in a manner similar to Damian Lewis in BoB.  James Ransone provides the most unforgettable performance as Person.  He gets the best lines (see below).  Billy Lush creates the amusingly unlikeable Trombley.  My favorite character is “Doc” Bryan (Johan Lotan) who acts as the conscience of the unit.  Stark Sands is great as Lt. Fick.  Fick gets in trouble for standing up to his superiors when he recognizes idiocy, but he also becomes a symbol that in the end, rank trumps competency.  Another standout is Jon Huerta as Sgt. “Poke” Espera.  Espera represents the minority make-up of the modern Marine Corps.  A poor Hispanic, he was best friends with the middle class Colbert.  Espera is constantly harping on the white man’s oppression, but he admits the Corps is the best thing that ever happened to him.  Finally, I need to mention that as far as characters are concerned, it is a nearly all male affair.  Only one female has a speaking role – an Iraqi woman who questions whether the Americans are really there to improve the lives of Iraqis.

                    If you are familiar with David Simon, you know he is one of the best screenwriters around.  He is famous for “Homicide” and “The Wire”.  The dialogue is a real strength.  Some of the credit goes to Wright, who was part of the writing team and many of the best lines in the series are straight from his book.  Besides the pithy lines, the movie is heavy on slang, so it helps to be an American male when you are watching it.  To tell the truth, I don’t think many foreigners would find the series entertaining.  Unless they are looking for confirmation of biases against America.  I found the series to be overall a positive portrayal of the Marines, but not everyone will see it that way.  The realistic depiction of America’s young fighting men as irreligious, racist, and anti-gay may be disturbing to some Americans.  It helps to be an American to get the full effect of the “soundtrack”.  There is no score to queue emotions, but there is a lot of a capella songs by the characters.  These cover an eclectic range of popular hits. 

                    How accurate is it?  For those expecting a lot of action, it is too accurate.  There is very little combat enhancement.  I had read Wright’s book when the series first ran and then read it again when I rewatched the series for this review.  The series conforms to the book as well as any movie/book that I have reviewed.  There are no significant incidents in the series that are not in the book and all the significant incidents in the book made it into the series. 

                    Since this is more like the story of a unit at war (like “Band of Brothers”), it is less of a combat movie.  It is the best movie/series on the invasion of Iraq.  Although it does not cover much after the fall of Baghdad, it portends the problems we would encounter after “mission accomplished”.  This is because a well-advanced theme is the military was ill-prepared for the war and thus not prepared for the aftermath.  Mattis’ strategy of adjusting on the fly may have been wildly successful, but it was not a stable foundation for the peace.  This is just one of several eye-opening themes the series advances.  One is the Marines are step-children when it comes to supplies and equipment.  I already mentioned the “hurry up and wait” nature of warfare.  It is clear that even in the disciplined Marine Corps, the lower officers have to bite their tongues a lot when given orders by their superiors and sometimes the men at the very tip of the spear might disobey orders for the good of their men.  There is a constant refrain of “this isn’t what we trained for.”  On the other hand, the series makes the case that the higher-ups view war as a game that will lead to promotions.  Several times Ferrando mentions getting “back in the game” by launching another risky mission.  Most intriguing is the theme that the men consider killing to be the big payoff for all their training.   Not getting to shoot someone was a major disappointment for most.   And yet, most (not the Trombleys) are upset with the collateral damage to civilians.  More than the generals and politicians, these grunts realized that the mistreatment of civilians screwed up the goals of the war.

                    “Generation Kill” is usually overlooked when war movie fans discuss the best war series.  While not quite on the level of the GOAT “Band of Brothers”, it is definitely in the top five.  If you pair it with “The Long Road Home”, you get educated about the Iraqi War and the aftermath.  (It is bewildering to realize that the unit in “The Long Road Home” suffers many more casualties in one day than the 1^st Reconnaissance Battalion suffered in 40 days.)   Better yet, watch “Band of Brothers” and then “Generation Kill” to see how the military has changed.  And in many ways, has stayed the same.  Both series took best-selling books and brought them to TV with great fidelity.

GRADE  =  A

FAVORITE QUOTES:

White man’s gotta rule the world.  -  Espera

This is like Gilligan’s Island.  They’re giving us rocks and coconuts to  make radios and shit.  -  Person

Police that mustache.  Y’all starting to look like Elvises.  -  Sixta

The Marine Corps is like America’s pit bull.  They beat us, they kick us, and every once in a while they let us out to kill someone.  -  Person

If Saddam invested more in the pussy infrastructure of Iraq than he did on his fucking gay-ass  army, then this country would be no more fucked up than say Mexico. – Person

Welcome to Iraq, bitches!  -  Person

Stay frosty.  -  Colbert 

Shut up, Ray.  -  Colbert, numerous times

You ladies bitch if you get an MRE without a fucking pop tart.  -  Colbert, comparing his men to the Iraqis 

Thank you!  Vote Republican!  -  Colbert to waving Iraqis

I didn’t get to shoot yet.  -  Trombly 

Gentlemen, from now on we’re gonna have to earn our stories.  -  Colbert

Man, we keep making the same fucking mistakes.  -  Colbert

Shoot some civilians, get a reputation. 

One thing that’s not overrated is combat.  -  Ferrando

Gentlemen, we just seized an airfield.  That was pretty fucking ninja.  -  Colbert 

Peace sucks a hairy asshole.  War is the motherfucking answer.  -  Person 

You know, Poke, guys in black pajamas did alright in Vietnam, too.  You gotta respect the pajama.  -  Colbert 

 EPISODE 1:  Get Some -  The unit is preparing to go to war, which it is looking forward to.  We are introduced to the main characters, and a reporter who shows up to be embedded with Colbert’s team.  The main theme is they have been given poor equipment and lack of supplies.  The main chicken shit aspect of the military that is explored is the dress code which forbids mustaches that are too big.  The overall vibe is a frat house before the big homecoming parade. 

EPISODE 2:  The Cradle of Civilization -  They are part of a convoy and immediately get in a traffic jam. However, they are soon sent off on their own to basically drive into ambushes.  The main theme is they will be asked to do missions that is not in their job description.  For instance, they roll through a town in their unarmored Humvees and are ambushed.  Captain America makes his debut as an incompetent leader of Sgt. Kocher’s platoon.

EPISODE 3:  Screwby -  This episode develops the idea that the mistreatment of civilians will taint their efforts.  While parked outside a peaceful village, another unit comes along and opens fire on women and children.  “Hit Man” is developed as an officer who is sincere, but not good at his job.  They take friendly fire from a reservist unit.  This is the episode with the questionable airfield raid.  The theme is that 1^st Recon is being used by “Godfather” to impress Mattis.  The whiplash depiction of Ferrando is confirmed by his reaction to a boy injured by Trombly’s reckless fire. 

EPISODE 4:  Combat Jack -  Alpha Company, led by the competent Capt. Patterson (Michael Kelly), is involved with the capture of Ash Shatrah.  The episode juxtaposes the Marines’ obsession with finding a supposedly crucified Marine with the cynical attitude toward a Chaplain.  Bravo Company establishes a road block and we get a taste of the conundrum of following the rules of engagement when the victims might not be aware of the rules.

EPISODE 5:  A Burning Dog -  The episode concentrates on crossing a bridge and then rolling through the city of Al Kut.  One theme is that the Afghanistan war was run better.  The attack is at night and results in the best combat scene in the series.  Bravo Company is ambushed before reaching the bridge.  If not clear already, we now are assured that Iraqi warriors are very bad shots and Americans are the opposite, especially at night.  The ratio of Iraqi casualties to American is very high.

EPISODE 6:  Stay Frosty -  This episode develops the fact that Captain America gets praised for his crazy actions, and Lt. Flick gets reamed for questioning bad orders.  Wright asks what they are doing in Iraq if there are no WMDs, but the men don’t really care about politics.  Ferrando talks Mattis into sending the battalion to hunt for an armored division so they can “get back in the game”. 

EPISODE 7:  Bomb in the Garden -  They reach Baghdad and are stationed in an cigarette factory.  Their mission is to maintain law and order, but they are forbidden to patrol at night, even thought that is when the bad guys hold sway.  The theme is that America is fucking things up.  The denouement from the adrenalin-fueled rush to the capital leads to depression.  Colbert tries to fill the void by taking on unexploded bombs.  The series closes with the men watch a home-made video of their greatest hits.

DISCREPANCIES FROM THE BOOK:

Ferrando is the one who is obsessed with grooming.  The series puts this all on the shoulders of Sgt. Sixta. 

Colbert was not in the lead when the company took the wrong road.

The book does not cover Iraqi freedom fighters being tasked with taking Ash Shatrah. 

When Alpha Company goes into Ash Shatrah, the Iraqi army flees without a fight.

The book does not have an Iraqi woman chewing out Colbert for what America is doing to her country.

There was no football game between Bravo and Alpha, but Patterson did punch Hit Man (who is called Encino Man in the book).

Wright does not mention the watching of the video.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT -  These seemingly made-up incidents are actually in the book.

The men did make fun of letters sent by children.

There was a sandstorm that almost knocked down their tent.

Pizza Hut did deliver pizzas before the big push.

Marines do hate Charms because they consider them bad luck.

Captain America did shoot a parked car with an AK-47.

A .50 caliber machine gun on a Humvee did bring down a building. 

Trombly did shoot at some camels and ended up wounding a boy, who is brought into their camp.  Ferrando did refuse evacuation, then changed his mind.  Trombly was an asshole as he is portrayed as in the series. 

They did treat the Chaplain with disrespect.

They did find a drug stash when searching a village.  Colbert did tell them to leave it alone. 

Captain America did try to stab a prisoner.

Wright did run serpentine to avoid being sniped, to the amusement of the others. 

Four of them did break into an office building to vandalize an office. 

Colbert did take care of an unexploded bomb in a garden.  Flick did stop him from taking on another. 

An engineer did step on a mine.  Captain America did order them to take a short cut which resulted in them getting stuck.