Severe Clear – A Movie Review
As part of the first wave in the War on Terror, First Lieutenant Mike Scotti (awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Combat “V”) served on the front lines during the 21 day advance to Baghdad. His experiences in Afghanistan as well as Iraq put him face to face with the sobering realities of war. Severe Clear offers an unflinching look at life on the battlefield through the eyes of someone who was there.
In January, 2004, in Al-Falluja, Iraq, a documentary film crew follows an infantry squad of the 82nd Airborne, US Army. Cameras go with the squad of seven on day and night patrols, as they watch their backs, kick down doors, search for weapons, interrogate women, detain a few people, and listen to the complaints of locals. At their barracks, a former Baathist retreat called Dreamland, the men talk: about why they enlisted, civilian prospects, feelings about the war and Iraqis, where they were when a comrade died a few weeks before. We see them wait for translators and try a few words of Arabic; we hear their frustrations. We watch them pressured to reenlist. Tensions mount in Falluja.
Director: Kristian Fraga;
Writer: Kristian Fraga;
Stars: Mike Scotti
Runtime: 93 min; Rated: N/A; Genre: Documentary; Released: 12 Mar 2010
Me and Lay watched this documentary last Saturday evening, and it was excellent. This was not from some embedded journalist, but was filmed on small handheld cameras by Lt. Scotti during the actual events. It is raw and sometimes disturbing, as war should be. We really liked it.
Filmed in 2003 on his way from Afghanastan to Iraq to begin the march toward Baghdad during “Operation Iraqi Freedom”, Lt. Mike Scotti of the Marine Corps shows the reality of what they went through. This is definitely the most accurate and truthful account of what the soldiers went through. From saying why they fight, what they feel, and what life is like. This is a documentary that is an absolute must see and the type that people will either love or hate, depending on their thoughts on the war. Never once bad mouthing the president, although Rumsfeld gets a dig. Regardless of how you feel about the war this is a movie that needs to be watched. Overall, an absolutely captivating documentary that every American should watch. Like Tom Brokaw said “It’s OK to be against the war, but never OK to be against the soldiers.” This movie is the perfect example of that. I give it an A+ Would I watch again? – I would, and would show this to people.
(1 votes, average: 8.00 out of 10)
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