I’ve just finished watching this mini-series from the creators of The Wire. The show is seven episodes depicting the jerks and shots of the 1st Reconnaissance marines as they make history as the first troops to invade Iraq (for the second time).
There are no political pre-requisites. Instead, as in The Wire, you get excruciating fly-on-the-wall access, and are left to make your own mind up.
It’s testosterone charged, of course, but somehow the marines become just as loveable as loathsome; probably because of the madness of their jobs. For me, as in The Wire, a lot of the fascination comes from the insider information, such as conversations at grunt level, the differences in perspective etc. Often these are the angles missing from the daily news cycle.
Indeed, it seems all the angles are covered; a lot of research has gone into this. The conditions of the locals, the inadequacy of equipment, the decision making process, the filtered news from the rest of the world, the conditions for the marines; it’s all there, you miss nothing. At times this makes the show disturbing, but by the end I was just cheering the genius of the film-making. No resolutions, just insights. Hollywood, this ‘aint.
Hopefully, shows like this will pave the way for more. Mini-series?! Full-sized series, please.
Keep it frosty
