Only the Dead

'Time' magazine reporter Michael Ware was sent to Iraq in 2003 to cover the allies take down of Saddam Hussein. The Americans made short work of getting to Baghdad and toppling the regime. In the power vacuum that was created many factions emerged with differing and often extremist ideologies and soon insurrection became rife.

Ware was keen to see the war from both sides and went out of his way to contact the insurgents. This he was able to do after gaining the trust of a number of players. He was then used to 'promote' videos of their attacks and other deeds. He soon became involved with one of the most brutal of these insurgents - Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi. In this film he chronicles what he did in a linear format which also relates how the conflict grew and developed, this goes on for some seven years.

The footage is often extremely upsetting; showing the aftermath of suicide bombings, torture and beheadings. He has managed to get some very gritty footage and he did put his personal safety on the line on more than one occasion. The question that is left slightly hanging is whether he was abetting their crimes or merely reporting what occurred. He does mention the ethical conflict but some will find it inadequate. However, that is not the point of the film. This is a true account of what one man did in a war that many will say was totally unjustified. I found it upsetting, moving, heart breaking, visceral and sad. This is a film you will not be able to say you 'liked', it is a film that people should see, the true face of war is often air brushed by the media – this is anything but and as such is a film I can recommend.

This is the most confronting and in your face film I have ever seen. Documenting 7 years living in Iraq as a war correspondent for TIME and CNN, Michael (an Aussie) tells an amazing personal story of how he was nearly beheaded, worked to tell both sides of the Iraq war and his personal struggles. I watched a screening where Michael did a Q&A afterward, his insightful, concise and articulate depiction of what he went through, the PTSD, the stories he told and his analysis of Middle East, make this one of the best films. He does the American soldiers justice in this film, it is not a Hollywoodised depiction of the glory of war! This is real war.

Real life violence is more disturbing than movie violence, that's a fact, as this brave Aussie individual filmmaker/journalist, Ware, takes us, may'be, too close, sometimes, to the ongoing way in Iraq, while this was early times, for that number one, infamous and hunted terrorist. Here, they're after a smaller important party, with a price on his head. This is a stark and grim ride amidst bombs, be headings and some truly scary, and dangerously serious moments, one involving the welfare of our filmmaker, who's made something short of a masterpiece, and a beautifully written V.O doc too by Ware. The film has a nasty air to it, and that's how it should be seen. He's one of the bravest and ballsy filmmakers, I've seen, this side of war. At the end of it, my Dad commented, jokingly or not, "I hope he didn't go back". No joke, that very realization had me in a pith of worry and concern. Probably the best, up close and personal view of this endless nightmarish war you'll ever see. Be warned, some of the violent images, are stark and shocking, and will be heavy on some viewers, one in the second to the final frame of the still breathing enemy, you thought initially was a goner. There are a few stereotypical moments, that has us feeling we're just watching another in the field doco on this war, but I'm no saying that as a criticism. A non issue. For the most part, it's a frank and unsettling journey into the blackest realities of the war, the meaty part of the footage of Ware's trepidation and dangerous exploits, really starting mid way.

Only the Dead is a Western take on the Iraq conflict.

In spite of attempts to bridge the gap between the US invaders and Iraqi defenders, for me, this remains a Westernised perspective on the Iraq war. Its an interesting one, nonetheless.

What is clear from this documentary is the simple brutality and folly of war. People simply die, there's no pretense or sentiment. Whats especially troubling, is how modern urban warfare leaves no discernible boundary between civilians and military combatants. Everyone is at risk and under suspicion, there is no safe harbour.

This documentary is capably narrated by the Australian journalist who films instances of the Iraq war. He offers personal insights into how war effects him and those around him, including the often youthful US soldiers.

Take a look but be warned some of this is disturbing. Seven out of ten from me.

It's a little disingenuous to claim that 'Al-Zarqawi' is a star in this documentary as if the creator was his 'go to guy'. I got no particular feeling of this at all, despite claims made during the documentary. I won't go into why, it would ruin the story. Despite these claims, it is a pretty good documentary and worth a watch for the sheer nakedness of the war displayed in all it's horror. Why we have censorship in countries is beyond me. War is war and should never be taken lightly. The age of some of these soldiers is unbelievable and the things and decisions they are exposed to on a daily basis is horrendous that it's really no surprise when they come back and develop PTSD.