Review of The Hornet's Nest (2014) by James L — 05 Jan 2017

There's some decent footage here, but between the stupidly dramatic music they've added to every scene, the overtly fake sound effects of bullets whizzing by, gunfire and explosions, and the way they've jumbled up every action scene by cutting quickly between footage they shot with multiple units in separate firefights in an effort to make it look like one major battle, the film is just insulting.

Much like Citizen Soldiers (their other Afghanistan film) this is a Hollywood documentary, it never feels real, even though it is. War documentaries are so much more effective when the camera is just pointed at what is unfolding, without trying to add anything to amp up the drama.

The fact that they have all of this extra BS completely removes you from the experience and makes you question the filmmakers' integrity. It's like they're implying what the men on the ground go through isn't intense enough, so they have to change it in editing.

Not worth watching, watch Restrepo, Brothers at War and Hell and Back Again instead.