Review of Restrepo (2010) by Jack L — 13 Mar 2011

I haven't a clue what it's like to be in a life-threatening situation. Me thanks all the fine folks who put THEIR lives on the line so I don't have to know that experience. This movie, better than anything I have seen before, made the emotional stress of the reality as clear to me as I guess any movie can do, which is undoubtedly a tiny fraction of the difficulties our soldiers and Marines experience. The loss of one of the soldiers amidst a days-long battle was gut-wrenching. They're facing enemies in crappy environments and having to deal with the loss of someone they love - all at the same time. Worse than all this, these young men were in an area, the Korengal Valley, that the US departs from later.

This is a film every American should see, particularly those of us who think our young men and women should be sent abroad more often or for longer periods of time than they are. I would also love to see these kinds of movies made about others who put their lives on the lines: journalists, aid workers, etc.