gilligan-11

Physically and emotionally traumatized veterans of the Iraq War tell their stories in this straightforward and poignant documentary. Each narrative seems eerily similar to the others—beginning with the initial lure of the Army or Marine recruiter's pitch (laced with half-truths), proceeding to the thorough mental indoctrination of basic training(essentially, psychological conditioning to master killing as a fundamental job skill), bottoming out with the paralyzing shock of actual warfare and bearing witness to death and destruction, and concluding with the return home carrying both physical and emotional scars for which the military and the government provide sporadic—if any—support. The veterans who tell their stories seem insightful, reflective, and articulate. They are not embittered or angry malcontents who feel cheated out of entitlements (although they'd have every right to be). They are simply compassionate human beings who realize that they have lost the lives they once knew and wonder why that's happened.

This is by far one of the most gruesome and disturbing films that I have ever seen, perhaps because the horrific events in this story actually happened. Based on the case of John Bunting, Australia's most notorious and prolific serial killer, "The Snowtown Murders" contains scenes that literally caused me to shield my eyes and scream in fright. I'm not sure what standards to apply to a film like this in evaluating whether it's "good" or not—but it is undeniably effective at conveying the inhuman brutality and base sadism behind these murders. The performances (especially those of Daniel Henshall as Bunting and Lucas Pittaway as his psychological victim/accomplice) are masterfully creepy, and the story WILL haunt you. A tip for most American viewers—the cast's Australian accents are quite thick, so I recommend viewing this one with the subtitles turned on for greater comprehension.

As told from the perspective of Latif Yahia, who was forced to serve as Uday Hussein's body double, it's impossible to tell how much of this horrific story is true and how much is embellished. Although we can safely infer that Uday was just as sadistic, monstrous, narcissistic and power- mad as this film portrays him, it's less clear whether Latif was actually as virtuous and heroic as he's made out to be. One thing is certain, however—Dominic Cooper's portrayal of both characters is an impressive feat, considering the challenge he faced. He must create two distinctly different characters whose physical resemblance is almost exact while simultaneously striving to make the two indistinguishable from each other. Although the film contains many compelling scenes of Uday's barbarism and macho excess (he kidnaps a 14 year-old girl for his pleasure, exacts revenge on his father's top aide for facilitating his father's infidelity, and rapes a bride on her wedding day), it's worth seeing for Cooper's performance alone.