Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan (2007)

Few names bring fear into the hearts of men as much as "Genghis Khan" or as he was known to the people he led and the lands he ravaged, "Temudgin."  In Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan, we get a spectacular, if sympathetic, look at the rise to power of one of history's most infamous warlords.

From his troubled youth, when he's thrust into power as a child and just as quickly overthrown by a member of his father's counsel, young Temudgin must fight his way up from nothing.  Escaping capture from this traitor Targutai (Amadu Mamadakov) he prays to the god of the sky, who seems to endow him with his powers.  As he reunites with his bride Borte (Khulan Chuluun), and a friend he made along the way, his leadership and stature become clear to everyone around him.

He finally becomes enemies with said friend, Jamukha (Honglei Sun), who has teamed with Targutai in order to elminate Temudgin.  The battle scenes in Mongol are spectacular, with maybe a certain amount of Kung-Fu movie flair to them.  At times they can get a little grisly, and possibly over the top.  The scene early on where Temudgin caves in the guy's skull is probably the prime example.  Not for the weak, to be sure.

He's captured and sold to a Chinese nobleman, who puts him on display as an animal.  Later freed by his wife, he returns to Mongolia to unite the tribes he fought against, and sets us up (I think) for the rest of this trilogy, which I cannot wait to see.

The greatest thing about Mongol is not Tadanobu Asano's performance as the warlord, although it is excellent.  It's the simply breathtaking location shots.  Time after time they show you locations you never dreamed could be real.  It's just amazing.  The production team also went the extra mile in setting everything up.  From the costumes to the props, you -will- buy into all of it.

And yet again, I have to change my position on the love story angle.  Here it is an integral part of the story.  His love for his chosen bride throughout is what drives him.  And the opposite is true, as Borte goes as far as becoming the wife of a Chinese nobleman, and mother to his child, in order to get to Temudgin and free him from his cage.

Somewhat troubling throughout, though, is the sympathetic nature of the story.  I don't know about you, but I was always taught that Genghis Khan was a merciless killer and ravager.  The typical leader of "the mongol hordes", but it's clear that this is not that man.  Maybe the portrait will change if the rest of this story is told, I can't say.  But that "feeling" is continually in the back of your mind as you watch Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan.

Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan (2007) on Spout.com

Originally posted on:War Movie Reviews and News

Generation Kill (2008)

I finally got around to watching all my DVR'd episodes of HBO's Generation Kill, based on the writings of Rolling Stone reporter Evan Wright about his embedding with the 1st Marine Recon Battalion in the first days of the Iraq invasion.

I have to say, Generation Kill is a great look at the ins-and-outs of modern warfare, and the people fighting it.  In the seven part mini-series, which starts just before the invasion, and ends shortly after the fall of Baghdad, 1st Recon gets to experience the horrors of war, but mostly, they get to be a part of the cluster-f--k that was (and still is) Iraq.  Between the 'what are we doing here' angle, the internal politics of modern war are explored in great detail, from those in the squads, all the way up the chain of command.

First off, this is no "Band of Brothers."  Let's just get that out of the way right now.  The guys here aren't given particularly high marks in their portrayal.  But lets face it, if you've been around a representative gang of guys like you'd find here....  It's pretty damn close to the mark.  But what they're doing is not meant as any sort of tribute like BoB was.

From the wise-cracking Ray (James Ransone), the cool-under-pressure "Iceman" Brad (Alexander Skarsgard), the reporter (Lee Tergesen), to the average guys, including the level-heading Lt. Fick (Stark Sands).  These guys were just great at making me believe it.  All of them, with few exceptions.  Yeah sure at times Ray's character was a bit scripted and over the top, but the quirks and personalities given to each one of them were just brilliant.  Although I must admit to being a little skeptical of the characters in the first episode.  Thankfully they wound up mostly developed by the end.  You will recognize people you know in these characters.

Then you go all the way up to the sad but accurate portrayals of the Rambo-wanna-be "Captain America" er, I mean McGraw (Eric Nenninger), the southern-accented "Marine Lingo" spewing Sarge, and the odd character of the by-the-book Col. "Godfather" (Chance Kelly)...  I'm not sure why the higher-up officers were portrayed in such a negative light.  (Maybe its not that far off the mark?)  Really the only one who seemed to have his shit together was Fick, and thank god we have guys like that.  The general WTF-ness of some of their calls really get you thinking.  And the scene where the Doctor calls out Captain "Encino Man" on that very subject is the icing on the cake.

The action and battle sequences were just amazing.  Although as many have noted, there really aren't all that many of them, and some of them are painfully short.  That's OK, though, par for the course.  It can get a bit grisly at times, but not so much so to get you squeamish.  Really, they could have made it a lot worse.  They're done well enough that you fully buy into them, and they never go over the top as to become unbelievable, as can sometimes happen.

It is a bit disconcerting the amount of, (thinking for the right word), disdain is shown to the troops' actions though.  Regardless of their motives, it seems like they always wound up killing some innocent person or child or villagers in the process.  Again, while there may be some truth to that, I think the point was made one too many times.  Especially in the last moments of the final episode, which seemed a little too much like the closing slides of "Redacted" for my tastes, yet it was still done in a somewhat more respectful light.  If you've seen the two sequences, you probably know what I'm talking about.  What separates GK from that fiasco is how the different characters react to it all.

All of the details are just much too involved to get into here.  But other aspects of the story are worth talking about, namely the desire to do what's right versus following orders, versus the ingrained and trained nature of the Marines as warriors....  The countermanding of outlandish orders, the conflict between officers and enlisted men, the confusion and losses suffered from these actions.  Really I think is what's at the heart of Generation Kill.  Not having read the book I can't comment on the original author's intent, but here that seems to be the overarching theme... 

... that we as a military and a country need to figure out what the hell we are doing there.  From the early episodes where their mission was clear, to oust Saddam and "liberate" the country, to the last few episodes where it becomes clear to the men that "this isn't going to be over anytime soon."  And how right they were.

I think I'm starting to ramble a bit.  Let's just close with this:  Generation Kill is a great portrayal of what's going on over there.  It's funny, it's complex, it's horrible, it's simple, it's decent, it's just plain indecent...  it's just a lot of different things.  Putting all together like they've done here is amazing.  The final scene with Wright leaving the base sort of says it all.

Generation Kill isn't out on DVD yet, but I recommend it if you've not seen it yet.  I don't think the trailers I found really represent what the series is all about.  But here's one of them.



Ah, found this 10 minute clip. Much better representation of the whole shebang, even if its only from one episode (IIRC).

Generation Kill (2008) on Spout.com

Originally posted on:War Movie Reviews and News

Hamburger Hill (1987)

In May, 1969, Airborne troops were tasked with the awful duty of taking a hill from the North Vietnamese, in a battle which would become known as "Hamburger Hill" and documented in a book by Samuel Zaffiri, and then on film in this 1987 picture.

I hadn't seen Hamburger Hill in a long, long, time.  And for some reason, the last time I did I remembered not liking it very well.  Well, this time was very different.  Maybe age and experience, maybe the myriad of pictures I've seen here have put some things into perspective, but Hamburger Hill is really quite the Vietnam epic.

This film takes the typical Vietnam experience that you've seen before in pictures like "Platoon" and "We Were Soldiers", and amplifies it signifcantly.  From the mud, muck, and filth that our heroes live in back at the base, to the near endless death and destruction on the hill.  You will come away from this with that "sunk" feeling, as you realize how futile all of it is.

The only real problem I think is that it takes itself a bit too serious at times.  Even in the "lighter" moments it wields a heavy hand.  Maybe "problem" isn't the right word.  If you've seen it, you probably know the feeling I'm trying to describe.

Not only does Hamburger Hill succeed at presenting its message, but also spends a great deal of time on the issue of race in the military of the Vietnam era.  And surprisingly does it without coming off as "preachy" for lack of a better word.  You've got the seemingly out of place doctor, "Doc" Johnson (Courtney B. Vance) who seems to be a liaison of sorts between the black and white elements of the squad.  But it becomes clear by the end that despite all the rhetoric and discussion of race, it just doesn't matter.

But, as is the case, you've got the usual Vietnam cliches to deal with.  The somewhat forced friendly-fire incident, the out-of-touch officer corps, the above mentioned racial tensions, the blood and guts, the punji stick traps....  You sort of have to expect it I suppose.

Dylan McDermott and a young Don Cheadle are excellent in their roles.  Far better than I had remembered.  But again, that spectre of 'seriousness' seems to affect everyone in their portrayals.  Like the director was shouting out 'remember, you're not enjoying this' or something.

One particular element of the film that I do remember, and still think reverberates as an overarching theme, is the destruction of Hamburger Hill itself.  At the beginning it appears as a lush, green thing of beauty.  But by the end is laid waste into a burnt and broken, smokey, desperate wasteland.  Somewhat like the guys who left there alive.

Hamburger Hill (1987) on Spout.com

Originally posted on:War Movie Reviews and News