The Mark of Cain

This movie had its World Premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Unfortunately it didn't have any subtitles, so the British-English dialog was sometimes very hard to understand.

The movie follows a group of British soldiers in Iraq showing their sometimes forced humiliation against Iraqi soldiers, their psychological problems, the cover ups in the British army and the outcome during a trial.

The movie is obviously low budget, but the outcome is very well. The first quarter of the film starts powerful, then it skips to TV drama style for a while, (i didn't really like that) but the ending is again very powerful.

7.5/10. I wonder if this movie is still going to be aired on television or if they decide to release this is in cinema. It is certainly a lot better than the standard blockbuster films we see....

this is an important war movie. the best war movie i've seen since 'three kings' not much shooting or setpiece explosive action mind you. movie critics are uneasy at its stark portrayal of dysfunctional army ways and its psychopathic sergeant whilst we are still in the midst of that same war.

it seems disloyal somehow. to our boys in the field to lay bare the prosaic anatomy of torture so powerfully. but i think this is a film all true soldiers will love.

they say the first casualty of war is truth and they're not far wrong. because war is horrendous.

it's just a damn shame that after all the classic Vietnam war movies that there will be another crop of classic iraq war movies. (eg gunner palace)

This film angered me so much, I've written a review on it even given the age of it now.

It appears after reading other reviews that are clearly written by people with hatred for the British Army or by people who have no idea what war is like, or even what life in the army is like. With people honestly saying that this is an accurate portrayal of what happens in war and that it paints an honest picture of what went on in Iraq. That's either seriously misguided or biased thinking or just downright slanderous lies.

As somebody who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, this film does nothing but insult me and every young man and woman who has served and those who are still serving. It paints the army to be a bunch of young, sadistic, idiotic thugs, it couldn't be any more wrong if it tried.

Utterly disgusting and s***s all over the efforts in Iraq of both the living and the deceased . The director should be ashamed of himself for this steaming turd.

A seemingly accurate portrait of the British Army immiediately post combat, but drawn into the turbulence of post war Iraq, with the start of sectarian fighting, and bombings.

Based on the experiences of two young lads, and their squad, in Basra in 2003, after the fall of Saddam Hussein, and the legacy as they return home.

Many people may find the home scenes just as poignant as the Iraq scenes. An interesting angle on how young people often try to block out negative thinking.

There are many moral issues to be drawn from this film. Recommended.

Although Mark of Cain isn't a bad movie, and most of the acting is in fact pretty good, it seems to be lacking a clear purpose. For a movie that aims to make a political statement, it seems to pull its punches at the most crucial moments. As a movie that wants to tell a story about a modern war, although realistic and often gritty, it is not nearly as powerful as Platoon or as intricate as Jarhead. In fact, the power of the story seems to peter out after the first two-thirds of the movie. For example, the technique of starting with a crucial scene, and then flashing back to this scene as the story unfolds, becomes less powerful. Eventually, the viewer pretty well knows what to expect. Watch Mark of Cain, expect some poignant scenes, but don't expect any new insights in that fiasco known as Iraq and don't expect to see war's truly horrific face.