Shooting the action in Iraq without taking sides
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
"Gunner Palace" gives us the best glimpse yet of what it's like to be in Iraq, and so its importance is self-evident, and yet the complete meaning of this documentary won't be apparent for years, maybe decades. The film presents the Iraq war from the standpoint of a handful of soldiers, whose base of operations is the partially bombed-out Azimiya Palace, where Saddam Hussein's son Odai once lived in medieval splendor. The film follows these young guys -- most of them very young -- as they go on raids, have the occasional party and talk into the camera.
Along the way, the film documents Iraq in this period of transition. What kind of Iraq will the United States leave? Only history knows, and therefore only history will be able to tell what exactly the makers of "Gunner Palace" have given us. Does "Gunner Palace" record the growing pains of a nascent democracy or is it a valuable record of an epic disaster in the making? The filmmakers don't impose a viewpoint and have enough humility in the face of history not to guess where it's all heading. They just keep the cameras running. Throughout, the rosy assessments of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld are played as a kind of ironic counterpoint to reality. But also throughout, we see Iraqis who are quite happy the Americans are there and have intelligent reasons for feeling that way. At times, watching "Gunner Palace" is as bleak as watching footage of American GIs in Vietnam, circa 1967. At other times, a better outcome seems possible.
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-- Advisory: Lots of strong language -- stronger than can be found in any PG-13 film to date.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
