Review of Gunner Palace (2004) by Cj T — 07 Mar 2005

I must admit that prior to the fall of 2004 I didn't give much thought to the war in Iraq. I knew a few of my employees were serving, but none of them had yet been deployed overseas. So the reality of war had not touched my life.

When I saw Gunner Palace, I tried to view the movie as a major Hollywood production and maintain distance from the "actors". Somewhere in the middle of the movie, I realized that the director, Michael Tucker, was holding the camera, riding with the troops and putting his own life at risk to show people like me, safe in the US, safe in our jobs what our employees and neighbors were experiencing in Iraq.

When the director shared with us the death of Ben Colgan, this hit home and I was jolted back to the reality that these young men and women are not actors. I appreciate that Michael TUcker and Petra Epperlein had the courage to show us the reality of this war. The reality of this war is not all high drama, and yes the day to day routine in Iraq can be boring. Gunner Palace gives us permission to talk about our own fears and axieties about this war. We are not told what to think, but I know that I won't go back to my safe world without getting to know the families of my employees who are serving. They deserve my support as I am sure they support this movie.

Congratulations Michael Tucker and Petra Epperlein on having the courage to create this movie.