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Snowflake Challenge #9: Generation Kill
Jan. 25th, 2020 03:30 pmThis seven part series originally aired in 2008. The series follows a group of US Marines during the 2003 American invasion of Iraq. It is based on the writing of Evan Wright, who embedded with the First Reconnaissance Battalion and Bravo company specifically. The whole series takes place "in country," following the Devil Dogs on their journey through "Mesopotamia" as they call it.
If you like detailed modern war epics, this series is for you. If you like snarky and buff military boys singing early 2000's jams, this series might also be for you. If you like the other HBO war series, I think there's a good chance you'll like it. It's grittier and more upfront than Band of Brothers, but less depressing/dark than The Pacific imo. The language used is very crude (and probably true to life) so there are some potentially triggering comments relating to homophobia, misogyny, racism, and xenophobia. However, the show does not sugarcoat any of that behavior, nor is it depicted as idealic. I think the language serves a purpose - mostly to highlight American Masculinity TM and how the military industrial complex works within that type of hyper-masculine culture.
The series was created by Burns and Simon, the creators of The Wire, and stars Alexander Skarsgard, James Ransone, Lee Tergesen, and a ton of supporting characters. The actors were actually trained by real life Devil Dogs Eric Kocher and Rudy Reyes. Reyes plays himself in the series!
In true HBO war fashion, it is sometimes hard to keep track of the characters and the command structure, so here's a list. The series won Emmys for outstanding visual effects, outstanding sound mixing, and outstanding sound editing. The cinematography is beautiful and the linear nature of the show is easy to follow - it feels like a seven hour movie. Four of the episodes are directed by Susanna White. The entire series is available for streaming on Amazon Prime.
The canon is composed of Wright's articles, which were eventually compiled into a book called Generation Kill, published in 2004. 1st LT Nate Fick, a prominent character in the show, wrote a book called One Bullet Away after he left the Marine Corps, which I highly recommend. The book covers his experiences and leadership in the modern US military as a whole, and Fick is a smart and thoughtful writer who isn't afraid to offer criticism.
And now the main reasons to love this show...
( Onto my main BAEs )
( And some resources )
