Breaking Ranks

This film is about a group of deserters trying to find refuge in Canada. It is not an objective look at the bigger issues. For the entire film not one person critical of the actions of the deserters is interviewed. These men deserve to be heard but so do their critics. This is obviously a film designed to preach to the choir. Objective observers would want the other side of the story.

Some points that should have been asked are:

What do the deserter's former comrades who actually followed orders think? Not one of these men or women are interviewed.

How are Hintzman's feelings on the war in Iraq relevant when he was deployed to Afghanistan fighting the Taliban and Al Qaida?

Is the comparison between Vietnam draft dodgers and Iraq war deserters actually relevant given that today's American army is all volunteer? And how did that effect the legal questions that the Canadian courts faced?

If the deserters felt that their actions are justified by the idea that the war in Iraq is wrong, why were they not brave enough to refuse to serve but stay in America and fight in courts (like the army officer in Washington state) instead of running to Canada?

These are just a few of the points that an intelligent, even handed filmmaker would address. The only reason I can think of to not present these questions or any dissenting opinions is that the purpose of this film is not to inform but to propagandize.

If you think that the media is not telling you the whole story about the wars in the world, then you are probably missing the portion described in this documentary. Everyone in the world should see it.

The rating that user jadjarhd gave has nothing to do with the documentary itself but just with his view. There are too little voices out there powered with the right mindset about the war in Iraq or anywhere else in the world.

The voice and the opinion of the majority of US citizens is clear. They think that the wars that USA is fighting are justified and that's why the operations and the meaningless killings continue on all the sides continue.

We need more of this one sided views in the world as a warning about all the lies the media and politicians are feeding us all over the world. Wars are all about money, they always were. No one cares about lives of these poor souls that joined up out of desperation and not about patriotism. The drafters lie... they always did that. They skew the truth so you would sign up the contracts. GSM operators, cable TV operators, Internet providers, everybody is skewing it so they would earn money everywhere.

The army need drones, that's why they want them young, stupid, poor, desperate, in trouble with the law. It's not about the country, it's not about democracy. it's just about profits and war is a real money maker. Just look at that equipment, weapons, ammo, food, vehicles, fuel. I just hope all that blood money goes to the USA owner because i would hate to see that Chinese or Japanese or Europeans profit from it. I guess USA needs that money to survive? Do people there need to feed on death? If the army can back out on it's promises why can't these guys? Is there a trial period in the war field? I don't think so. You get the option to send back the product you bought at Walmart if it doesn't suit you. Why haven't these guys the right to change their mind once they are in the position to make an educated decision? Would their decision to bail out bring their comrades in danger in the war zone? Maybe. But that's on military's conscience and their planning. But the military doesn't have a conscience. That would be contra productive.

I am amazed that these the producer managed to round up these guys in front of the camera. I think it needs guts to stand up against the whole corrupt system since not even Obama is not sending the troops home.

It's funny that this documentary is produced in Canada. Once again it shows that USA's mindset is long way from seeing the whole picture, behind the media coverage.