Hooligans at War

Saw the world premier at the Tallahassee Film Festival. This is an outstanding film about soldiers serving in Afghanistan. Director Tyler Elliot was embedded for a month with these soldiers and the access he was granted is spectacular. The focus of this film is a bit different than other war documentaries in the sense that the soldiers' boredom is on full display (like the movie Jarhead). As one soldier said "so we spend most of our time in Afghanistan guarding dirt..." But then we see what these heroes do and realize their sense of boredom is much different than ours back at home. These soldiers go on humanitarian missions to deliver food/water and medical supplies to villages in the middle of nowhere, serve as backup on election day should any violence erupt, patrol the streets of a crowded urban area after a suicide bomber detonates a car bomb in the middle of the district, and engage in firefights where the rules of engagement at times disallow soldiers from returning fire---all the while keeping their heads on a swivel for potential IEDs or sniper fire. Elliot doesn't editorialize--he allows the soldiers to tell it like it is. Outstanding film that is right up there with Restrepo.

I was the Platoon Sergeant for the Hooligans, and all I can tell you about us, is that there was no script, no acting, it was all real. We were ourselves on and off camera so all you will see is the truth and realism of what REALLY happens in places like Afghanistan. This documentary was not made to support what the world sees on the news, but to show the world that there is more than just death and fire fights during combat. On behalf of the Hooligans, thank you to all that support us, see the film and hopefully everyone will get a better understanding of what it is like to win the hearts and minds of countries like Afghanistan. God bless our troops. "Hooligan 7 OUT"