One of my favourite television series in the last ten years has been The Wire created by Ed Burns and David Simon. When I heard about their new show Generation Kill I was instantly intrigued and couldn't wait to see it. It has been getting mixed reviews. Below are two reviews that I found interesting.
Television writer Denis McGrath:Generation Kill isn't perfect. And it takes a while to get into. But if you stick with it, by Episode Three this is one drama that packs a hell of a wallop to your sense of community, empathy and history. Based on the memoir by Rolling Stone reporter Evan Wright, Generation Kill follows the Marines of the First Reconaissance Batallion, Bravo Company, as they roll into Iraq in the early days of the current Iraq war. The show comes from Ed Burns and David Simon, the team behind The Wire. Like that show, there is a precise, journalistic style to the exchanges of the characters. It's profane and there's jargon for miles... And it's quite a story...
You have the young Marines, who talk like Al Swearengen but less articulately. You're shocked by the sexist, crazy, racist and homicidal things that come out of their mouths. Some of the Marines are literally chomping at the bit at the thought of finally getting to kill somebody. But underneath that, they're boys... READ MORE
AfterElton.com blogger Snicks writes:
... However, in their zeal to be ultra-realistic, they forgot to include any characters that were worth caring about, especially when they spout wall-to-wall homophobic slurs and insults. I'm not talking about guys occasionally calling each "fag" or making fun of someone's gay tendencies, but a pervasive, and hostile attitude that undermines the rest of the show.
I expected a certain amount of homophobia, of course. The show is about a group of young, insecure, scared men in close quarters, and the easiest way for young, insecure, scared men in close quarters to bond as a group is through macho posturing (it's better to point the finger than have it pointed at you). In the premiere, most of the gay scorn is heaped on a soldier named Fruity Rudy (played by real life veteran Rudy Reyes). Because he drinks from his canteen with his pinky raised, and is metrosexual (as much as you can be in the middle of a war), he takes the brunt of the "fag" remarks... READ MORE
- Generation Kill Wiki page
- Generation Kill Official Site
