© 2007 Vérité Films Ltd

  Reviews 

Variety -

 By ALISSA SIMON    

 With: Luke Murphy, Mario Terenas, Michael Steele, Brian Little, Darnell "Doc" Herd.
(English, Arabic dialogue)
 
    As contradictory progress-reports on the Iraq war bombard Americans 24/7, the grimly fascinating docu "I Am an American Soldier" should be required viewing for all government lawmakers. Remarkably evenhanded pic follows an elite unit of the 101st Airborne Division over 14 months and lets soldiers and choice footage provide truths of their own. It's a natural for broadcast and, given the current showdown in the Senate, could sustain a limited arthouse run Stateside, like "War Tapes" and "Operation Homecoming."

    Director John Laurence and his team, all veteran war correspondents, were invited by the 187th Infantry Regiment (known as "Rakkasan," after the Japanese word for paratroopers) to make the film, and were embedded with Charlie Company, a group of 92 men. Pic's timeframe, from September 2005 to November 2006, covers the final stages of the soldiers' training at Fort Campbell, Ky., their farewell to loved ones, further "time on trigger" in Kuwait and then assignments in Samarra, Baghdad and Tikrit to complete their one-year combat deployment.

    The remarkably strong bond the servicemen feel for their fellow GIs reverberates throughout the film. Also clear is their objectification of the enemy into something less than human.

    Pic highlights the soldiers' physical and psychological preparation, both of which are at odds with the situation they face in Iraq. As one notes, "We're fighting guerrillas and all our tactics are conventional."

    Lack of Arabic speakers proves problematic in the soldiers' attempts to interrogate suspects and recognize potentially lethal threats. A platoon medic recounts the story of Charlie Company's first kill: While at a battle position, he fired on a fast-moving vehicle that ignored "Do Not Enter" signs and failed to heed warning shots, killing three innocent civilians.

Frustration with conditions is a constant, particularly in the bloody chaos of Sadr City. One sergeant voices the questions that many pundits now ask: "Why did we negotiate with Sadr? How did he go from being the No. 1 hit-list guy to having a militia that operates with impunity?"

    Basic corruption and tribal ties mar cooperation with Iraqi police and Ministry of Information commanders. U.S. officers comment on Iraqi interrogation methods ("We hear screams at night") but call it "an Iraqi way of life."

    Tech credits are fine. Soldiers' observation point in Samarra provides good views of the golden dome of the Al-Askari shrine, one of the holiest places in Shia Islam, which was destroyed by Al Qaeda saboteurs in February 2006. Songs chosen by members of Charlie Company supplement the film's minimalist original score.

    For the record, Brigade Cmdr. Michael Steele, whose bloodthirsty pre-deployment speech is captured here, was reprimanded for his highly aggressive command and reassigned.

 Camera (color, HDV), David Green, Andy Thompson; editors, Peter Callam, Cliff West, Joanna Kiernan; music, David Mitcham; music supervisor, Matt Biffa; sound, John Callam-Anderson. . Running time: 101 MIN.

The Hollywood Reporter

Bottom Line: As clear, direct and powerful as its title.

By Frank Scheck

NEW YORK -- The subtitle of "I Am an American Soldier," the latest and one of the best of the Iraq War documentaries that have proliferated in recent years, perfectly encapsulates its premise: "One Year in Iraq With the 101st Airborne."

A clear-eyed portrait of a 14-month tour of duty experienced by 92 soldiers, the docu provides a powerful portrait of the universality of war's horrors and the particular complications of this one.

Director John Laurence covers the full range of the soldiers' service: their U.S. training at Fort Campbell, complete with bellowed motivational speeches by their commanders ("It's time to go hunting," one exhorts, while brandishing a flag that once flew at 7 World Trade Center); their tearful goodbyes to their loved ones; their combat experiences in such places as Samarra, Baghdad and Tikrit; and their eventual return home, in some cases after their death or maiming.

The soldiers themselves, many of whom are experiencing extended tours of duty -- "I feel like I got screwed," one complains -- provide extensive commentary via interviews. One 19-year-old soldier, when asked why he joined the army, responds in baffled fashion, "I don't even know ... I just ended up here."

Many of the soldiers are initially gung-ho about their prospects: "We're gonna go kill people, that's awesome," one enthuses. But it isn't long before a more realistic sense of weariness and dread sinks one. One interview subject, hearing the sounds of gunfire during an outdoor session, says, "Hopefully we won't get shot sitting right here."

Their commentaries are often harrowing to listen to, like the accounts of several soldiers who were trapped inside a Humvee that caught fire after being hit by an IED.

Ultimately, the sheer bravery on display outweighs nearly every other aspect of the film. One amputee, seen being treated at Walter Reed Hospital, concentrates on his blessings even after losing a leg: "I got another one," he points out.

Utterly lacking in pretension, "Soldier" is as clear, direct and powerful as its title.

NY Times:

Though the title of John Laurence's groundbreaking documentary I Am an American Soldier: One Year in Iraq with the 101st Airborne suggests the U.S.-Iraqi war as filtered through one soldier's perspective, the film actually views the occupation through the collective eyes of the men in the 101st Airborne Division. Laurence covers 14 months of military operations, from pre-operative training in the U.S., to deployment in the Middle East, to the men's return to the States. The firsthand perspective offered by the picture enables Laurence to provide an intimate view of battlefield occurrences and individualized experiences, unfiltered through media bias. What emerges is a portrait of men who are actually drawn into tighter emotional bonds as they face collective risk. Throughout the film, the men describe, in vivid, unchecked detail, the reality of their experiences in the U.S. military.  

Nathan Southern, New York Times

The Platform by Peter Osnos
A weekly column considering the changing face of journalism in light of government pressure, business demands, and the evolving nature of media distribution.

Summer Movies

There are three powerful documentary films—two dealing with the Iraq war and one about Darfur—making the rounds of festivals and a few theaters in this traditional season for lighter fare. They reflect the changing ways important subjects reach selected audiences. As it happens, I have done books with the protagonists and/or creators of the films, so I know more about the back stories to them than I might otherwise. By the standards of Hollywood and big-time broadcast, they will have tiny box-office revenues. But their critical and award-winning success at festivals and in places such as the New York Times is a tribute to the persistence of the filmmakers and the potential for media impact using images and words in the best tradition of investigative and narrative journalism.

The Devil Came on Horseback is a film by Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern that tells the story of Brian Steidle, a young ex-Marine who went to Darfur in 2004 as an observer for the African Union and returned with an abiding commitment to telling the world of the appalling conflict in which countless black Sudanese have been massacred by their government-supported Arab countrymen in ethnic and tribal mayhem. Steidle and his sister, Gretchen, the offspring of a Naval officer, have travelled the United States showing photographs taken by Brian and have roused communities of all kinds—church groups, college students, trendy New Yorkers in a Chelsea gallery—with their soft-spoken rage. The movie, which takes Brian back to Darfur and to Rwanda, has the same quality. The New York Times review by Manohla Dargis called the film “brutal, urgent, devastating.” The film is being shown at the IFC Center in New York and has scored very high on audience turnout surveys. The most recent ads say “coming soon to . . . theaters nationwide.” I hope so. The Steidle’s moving book has the same title and is—or should be—available everywhere .

No End in Sight is a film by Charles Ferguson, a first-time filmmaker whose account of how Iraq descended into the maelstrom of insurgencies and political chaos has been getting stunning reviews. They have appeared in places as diverse as Newsweek, the New York Times, and Entertainment Weekly. “This devastating documentary leaves you seething,” wrote Entertainment Weekly’s Owen Gleiberman in a list of new features that also touted Knocked Up and The Bourne Ultimatum. Many years ago, I did a book with Ferguson in which this Ph.D. polymath predicted, correctly, the implosion of IBM as we then knew it. He made a fortune selling a software program he developed to Microsoft and in 2004 decided to make and finance this tough-minded examination of the Bush administration’s Iraq blunders. The film contains interviews with a number of officials who are scathing in the way that only an infuriated career public-servant can be at the political bozos who run the country. Ferguson’s film won an award at Sundance and has a distributor, which means that it could roll out to theaters beyond the handful where it is now showing.

John Laurence had a memorable run as a television correspondent for CBS and ABC and in 1969 made an unforgettable documentary called The World of Charlie Company, which remains the best portrait ever done of the infantry grunt in Vietnam. In 2002, Laurence published The Cat from Hue, a brilliantly crafted Vietnam narrative. He then went to Iraq and made the film, I Am an American Soldier: One Year with the 101st Airborne, which tracks a unit from deployment to return. Variety’s review called it, “grimly fascinating . . . a natural for broadcast.” Laurence is working on a book based on the material and, in the meantime, looking for a distributor for theaters or television syndication. There is a lot more about the film...  www.iamanamericansoldier.com.

Finding these movies in the old-fashioned way, in theaters, is not easy. I watched them on DVDs sent to me, at my request, by the Steidles, Ferguson, and Laurence. The digital technologies hold out the prospect that, one way or another, it will be possible to buy, rent, or merely access the movies on line or, eventually, on a cable channel like IFC or Sundance, which have emerged as two of the most interesting outlets for creative films and documentaries. For any filmmaker, however, the goal must still be a national distribution deal combined with great reviews; on that score, Ferguson is already a major winner. Brian Steidle has somehow managed to retain both his passion about Darfur and his Marine’s cool and convincing demeanor, despite having recounted his story many times over in print, at speaking engagements, and at now at movie screenings—and hopefully this effort will be rewarded with a deal for distribution in multiplexes, along side, say, Sicko and seasonal bang-bang films. Jack Laurence is an artist as well as a reporter. His network brethren should find a way to launch this movie, perhaps in tandem with a replay of The World of Charlie Company. The subjects of these films are major, unresolved global crises, but there is something encouraging about both the enterprising content and the entrepreneurial, distribution for these superb summer movies with a message.

Peter Osnos is Senior Fellow for Media at The Century Foundation.

Rating: NR

Director/Producer : John Laurence
Reviewer: Chris Barsanti    ContactMusic.com
Most of what one would need to know about how a storied fighting unit like the 187th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division adapts to urban insurgent warfare is contained in a few telling scenes of the documentary I Am An American Soldier: One Year in Iraq with the 101st Airborne. The soldiers, buzz-cut and highly-motivated, are patrolling in the city of Samarra in 2005 -- the Golden Mosque gleams in the distance, this is not long before it was destroyed and touched off the Sunni-Shia sectarian bloodbath still raging now -- at the ready, constantly training their assault rifles, acting for all intents and purposes as though they are about to go into a major firefight at any moment. There are obvious reasons for this, as they've been taking IED attacks and small arms fire occasionally, but it also points to a fundamental disconnect. Even as the soldiers mouth agreement with the idea of winning hearts and minds, they're also stalking around like hunters on the hunt. And no surprise, it's what they've been trained for. As one soldier puts it, "We're fighting guerrilla warfare, and all our tactics are conventional."

Director John Laurence's documentary (his first, and a pretty sterling achievement) is part of an entire sub-genre of film we're seeing these days where filmmakers spend lengthy periods of time with a single military unit serving in Iraq. It's a genre that speaks not only to the easy portability of modern film equipment, but also to the consistent fascination with such material (was there ever a war as extensively filmed as this one?) but also to the war's extremely durable nature. Who knows? At some point we may be seeing works where the filmmaker spends five years with the same unit ("Well, it's 2011, and we're patrolling what's left of Baghdad, looking for IEDs...").
In any case, Laurence's film is fairly par for the course in structure, beginning in September 2005 back in the States with training and getting ready for a year-long deployment and concluding with a ceremony in a hangar filled with tearful family members and soldiers who never want to see the supposed cradle of civilization again. Unlike a number of Iraq docs, Laurence focuses not on the more obviously conflicted soldiers, the thousands of National Guardsmen who never thought they'd be doing more than paying for college tuition by serving on the weekends, but on a pretty tough knot of professional soldiers. The 187th is the kind of unit where history and esprit des corps is taken not lightly at all. Their nickname is the Rakkasans, conferred by the Japanese (it means "parachute") in the aftermath of World War II, and their commander, Col. Steele, is a thick-set bulldog of a guy with a flair for bloody-fanged, effectively Patton-esque oratory. The film has an obvious affection for these hard-bitten but mostly jovial guys who take their jobs so extraordinarily seriously. It's a scrappy and occasionally roughly-hewn piece of work, but extraordinarily vivid and empathetic, especially when following one particularly resilient paratrooper who loses a leg to an IED.

The tightrope act that any Iraq doc filmmaker has to walk, especially the embedded ones like Laurence, is how to bring up any larger questions about the war itself. There's little overt political discussion amongst the soldiers themselves, though their commanders have a chillingly blithe habit of directly connecting Iraq to 9/11, when not making jokes about going into Tehran next. But Laurence acquits himself fairly well here, letting the paratroopers speak their minds at length about a mission that they seem fairly on board with at the start but have started to doubt more and more by the end of their deployment. As one paratrooper says after returning to the States, when asked if he thought it was all worth it, talks grimly about what Marines must have thought about all the thousands who died for a lousy island like Iwo Jima. "It's never worth it."

 

Huffington Post

by Tobi Elkin 

Director John Laurence is a veteran, old-school news journalist who reported from Vietnam in 1970 and was embedded with the 101st Airborne in 2003.

Speaking at a press conference, the director said he didn't set out to make a political film, but rather "a film that would uncover some truths about the war."

"We set out to make a film from the soldiers' point of view that was not going to be political." His film follows the experiences of a group of soldiers in the elite 101st as they prepare for their deployments, serve and return home--18 members of the group are killed.

The film is full of raw moments and the viewer feels helpless as one emotional scene after another unfolds--a soldier who lost his leg trying to weigh whether it was worth it, "it's just a leg," suggesting that at least it's not one of his arms; a (soldier) weeping after being unable to save an Iraqi child struck down by a car bomb; the poignancy of a commander's parting words as he leaves his tour in Iraq; and family members' emotions running over at a memorial service.

While Laurence said he didn't make an anti-war movie, he said that the process of making the film showed him that the soldiers "go to war expecting to make a difference, to serve their country, to kill a lot of insurgents, to help win the war, advance the cause," but they end up "after a year realizing that's not going to happen."

In contrast to high-profile celebrity war correspondents and bloggers in the field, Laurence is understated in his approach: "We just wanted to document their lives. We didn't set out to make an anti-war film or a pro-war film, just an interesting film."

Laurence and his crew followed soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division for 14 months, observing their preparations in the U.S., their experiences in Iraq and then their return home.

DER SPEIGEL (GERMANY):         A SHOCKING IRAQ DOCUMENTARY

A shocking revelation of the reality of War. In his film, "I am an American Soldier," award-winning Vietnam reporter John Laurence shows for the first time this cruel conflict completely from the point of view of the soldiers..."I am an American Soldier" is one of the most talked about, most emotional films of the year...92 soldiers of the 101st speak. It shows the nature of war through their eyes, their words, their experience...These innocent young warriors (kindlichen Krieger) become sympathetic (sympathisch) despite their trained killer mentality...Equally shocking wherever you stand on the War...The most revealing film yet about the lives of soldiers in Iraq.

"Honest, fair, and very powerful." -- Major Tom Bryant, U.S. Army.    

Comments from ordinary viewers received by this web site:

"HOORAHH !!!"

  "Saw the screening tonight  - thank you for a powerful and informative film.  If your goal was to make people think, then you've succeeded with me."

  "Fantastic film!! Unbelievably powerful, and a truly honest inside look at the war in Iraq."

  "You are to be congratulated on this documentary which chronicles the hardships, struggles, and love shared by this squad and company of soldiers. Your documentary should be viewed by every American citizen." 

 "I saw the film last night . I was very impressed with the film and would love to know when it comes available on dvd. iIhave a good friend that is a black hawk fighter in the 101st airborne and I know he would love to see this when he returns home. We had the opportunity to have a q&a with the director last night and I want to thank him for making such an amazing, unbiased film about the war."

  "I just found the trailer for this on YouTube and all I can say is WOW! As a vet myself, thank you for showing what it's like over there." 

 "My son is a Rakkasan. 3-187. I am not sure how difficult it will be to see this, especially since they are set to redeploy again very soon. I would like to thank you in advance for making this documentary. I attended their Pylon Ceremony for their Fallen Brothers. It is a memory that I will carry all of my days. God Bless them all."

  "Hi. My husband is in Charlie Troop 1/33 based at Ft Campbell.  He was in Iraq when you did this film.  We all appreciate what you have done in making this movie. I can't wait to see it, and see what all he and all other troops have done for this country. Thank you!"

  "Great film! I know exactly what the loved ones were going through. Nightmare!"

  "My son is one of the 101st you traveled with. Thank God he is home safe. God bless all.  ~ Mom of a American Soldier"

  "The trailer was great and it really puts in perspective what our husbands are going through."

  "I really enjoyed your film .  Your objectivity was appreciated and I hope you continue to use this film in a positive and objective manner to settle all the confusion, misstatements, and inaccuracies by MSM."

  "MAJ T was an instructor of mine at West Point, and one of the finest officers that I know. I would really appreciate the opportunity to purchase the DVD whenever it is available. Thank you for showing the side that not everyone gets to see."

  "i'm 3months away from enlisting, and my all time DREAM and GOAL is to be in the airborne. Hope i make it. want to see video for studing so im more prepared. I live in indiana.

  "I would love to know when this is out on video.  Thank you for showing the conflict from the soldiers point of view.  We are so proud of everything they do on a day to day basis."

  "Our son Jeff was with that group and is now safely home.  His Marine brother was in Iraq during the same time.  It was a worrisome year (the second middle east tour for both), but we are extremely proud of them and of those with whom they served.  My heart aches for the families and friends of those who will not return home to embrace the American dream for which they fought."

  "My brother is in this division. Thank you for doing this.  We are proud of all that they have done for us."

  "I hope this film will be available in my area (Northern California/Central Valley). I appreciate your work and hope many who are "disconnected" from the reality of what's going on over there will see this. Thank you."

  "This will be a winner. I can support what is said in the trailer from my recent experiences in Afghanistan. I wish you all the best of luck"

  "None of us can know what these soldiers went through as they don't like to talk about war when they come home, but we all know that it has affected their lives and will continue to do so, probably forever.  We're just thankful for the ones that made it home, and grateful to the ones who didn't."

  "Hey guys, keep me posted on when the film is coming to Alaska." (from a serving Army officer.)

  "Thanks for the work you do."

  "This film looks very interesting and I hope you will play it in the Bay Area in California."

 "Please let me know when this film is shown and where. Thanks. God Bless our 101st and those that serve this country I love."

  "Thank you for making a film that focuses on Soldiers and Families - and shows the realism of combat without editorializing." (from a serving soldier)

  "I look forward to the film being shown in Seattle! Good work and God bless you all."

  "My daughter is An American Soldier with the 101st. Please let me know when DVD's are available and when the film will be playing in Atlanta, GA and Clarksville, TN. She is a SGT and was on a gun truck for recovery missions during deployment.  I look forward to seeing what it was like for her.  Thanks for making this film."

  "Thanks to all who serve!"

  "I attended the screening today, Wednesday 4:30, and I just wanted to comment on how much I enjoyed your film. I I was anxious to see it from the first day I recieved the program. My boyfriend is a Marine deployed in Iraq and in seeing this it made me for a little while feel closer to him and if nothing else get insight into what he might be going through."

  "All I have to say is....GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!"

  "Thank you for sharing this story of the 101st. It is not always easy for a returning soldier to talk about."

  "I was deployed with the Rakkasans for September 05-06. I would really like to know how, if possible, I can get a hold of a copy of this documentary. Thank you."

  "Thanks for doing this. I was a Medevac pilot with the 101st during 2005-2006.  We were based out of FOB Speicher near Tikrit, and supported the Rakkasans in Samarra and Baaji."

 "When will this be available on DVD? I can't wait to purchase a copy for my husband, 1SG James C, who served with the Rakkasans during this time. The trailer was very moving and I can't wait to see the documentary."

 "I am a mom of a son that is with the Strykers in Ft Wainwright in AK - this looks like a wonderful movie and would love to see it in full - Please let me know when or if that will happen for this mom in Florida."

  "I'm looking forward to seeing this movie as our son is with the 101st although not the Rakkasans."

  "Drive on!!! Good luck." (from a retired Army general.)

--The following are two of many emails from Germany where the film was reviewed in Der Speigel in late April:

 "Almost 60 years after the end of the 2nd World War, the younger Germans don't know what war is like. I hope this film will also play in Germany soon." 

 "Is there any chance to watch the movie in Germany? I read about it in a news magazine, but there are no hints about the movie coming across Germany in any Cinema-magazine. I am living in Cologne, so please tell me if i can watch it in the cinemas or get it on dvd."