Product Details

• Actors: Rudy Reyes, David Barrera, Langley Kirkwood, Kyle Siebert, Alexander Skarsgard
• Format: Box set, Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: HBO
• DVD Release Date: December 16, 2008
• Run Time: 362 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (215 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001AQO3WY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,233 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

There's macho, there's military macho, and then there's the over-the-top machismo of the Marines. In the HBO miniseries Generation Kill, one character--a Marine--describes his branch of the military as "America's pitbull." The seven episodes of Generation Kill follow a battalion of Marines as they lead the invasion of Iraq, ultimately rolling into Baghdad itself by the last show. The language is dense with obscenities and military jargon, but it's surprisingly easy to follow, even if you don't study the glossary that comes in a booklet with the box set. What isn't so easy to distinguish are the characters themselves, except by surface details: This guy has a hoarse voice, this guy is an embedded journalist (a stand-in for Evan Wright, the Rolling Stone reporter who wrote the book the series is based on), this guy is a white supremacist, this guy has a mustache, this guy is an officer obsessed with the other guy's mustache. The problem is that people are ultimately defined by what they do, and soldiers in war are all doing pretty much the same thing: Shooting, swearing, and sitting around as they wait to shoot and swear some more. But Generation Kill isn't aiming for personal identification; the creators of the series (David Simon and Ed Burns, producers of the critically-adored The Wire) aim to immerse the viewer in the texture of the experience--which, in this case, is mostly chaos and confusion. Sandstorms are as great a threat as mortar fire; pizza trucks arrive out of nowhere on the brink of a mission (conveniently providing a bit of product placement); and the rules of engagement keep changing as the goals of the higher-ups grow increasing out-of-synch with the war on the ground. Generation Kill captures the frustration and increasing cynicism of the grunt troops with vivid skill, as their simplistic morality--kill the bad guys!--grows more and more hollow. Extras include some brief interviews with real Marines; the usual making-of documentary, mildly interesting but justly deleted scenes, and audio commentaries; and entertaining video diaries from Eric Ladin, the actor who plays the white supremacist. --Bret Fetzer

Product Description

Based on the national best-selling book by Evan Wright, Generation Kill is an authentic and vividly detailed 7 part HBO mini-series event that presents a uniquely epic and intimate portrait of the first 40 days of the Iraq war from the perspective of the Marines of the First Recon Battalion – a new breed of American soldiers.

The mini-series tells the story of these young Marines physical and emotional journey into the heart of Baghdad in those initial weeks, and how the war reveals to be much more complicated, problematic and tragic than anyone had contemplated. Many of the complications and problems that arise are due to the unwieldy military bureaucracy which the Marines confront in the midst of the war, the challenges of over-zealous and incompetent commanding officers, ever-changing rules of engagement, a non-existent strategy, severe deficiencies in necessary armor and supplies, and an enemy they don’t understand.

Generation Kill is a humorous and frightening first hand account of these remarkable men, of the personal toll of victory, and of the brutality, camaraderie and bureaucracy of a new American war. It is a profoundly insightful and realistic look at the risk, costs and ultimately, the failures of the war.

Written and produced by Emmy-award winner David Simon (the Wire), and also produced by the award-winning George Faber (Elizabeth I).

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Series March 1, 2009

By D. Brown

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This series is an accurate and engrossing depiction of combat in Iraq. The Marines are presented realistically, as neither heroes nor villains, but men doing their jobs. There are stoic idealists like Sgt. Colbert and borderline psychotics like Cpt. America, and everything in between. This is just like any military unit, or any group of people for that matter. Instead of idealizing war, Generation Kill simply gives viewers a glimpse of what it is really like. And by the same token, the series does not condemn warfare, as many documentaries and films are so tempted to do lately.

War is frustrating for the individual soldier. Not just the Iraq War, but any war. Generation Kill does an excellent job of capturing this frustration. The Sergeant Major's obsession with the grooming standard is a perfect example of how military units often lose track of what their priorities should be. But in the Sergeant Major's defense, standards are set for a reason. And if you stop enforcing some, others will usually follow. In combat, small standards and procedures often determine whether people live or die.

On a more technical note, the acting and writing in Generation Kill were very well done. Realistically portraying a soldier or marine is probably one of the most difficult roles for an actor. There are so many subtle nuances of being a soldier or marine, that without actually being one, it is hard to understand them. Generation Kill did a great job of training the actors to look and sound believable.

I was in Iraq for 27 months, in 2005 and in 2007/2008, and I can attest that this series is about as accurate as you can get in a film. I am in the Army, but I worked pretty extensively with Marines during both of my tours, so I have a pretty decent knowledge of how they work.... In the end, whether you are Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force or any other armed service member, the Iraq experience is for the most part universal. At different times you feel a wide range of emotions, from disappointment and despair, to elation and nostalgia. And Generation Kill does a great job of bringing those feelings to the viewer in a realistic and respectful way. Read more ›

91 of 107 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally something that resembles the real thing * * * * * August 16, 2008

By Michael R. Basedow

Format:DVD

This HBO series is unbelievable. It captured the true meaning of being in the military. The political internal battle is captured with great affects. The series reflects the bond soldiers build with each other that no civilian can EVER experience. This is way we bond for a lifetime and fight for our country. This is the military and a warrior in action on every level.

The writers, producers and actors did an outstanding performance in capturing the truth.

Michael Basedow
CW2, USA (Ret)

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Watch this series March 1, 2009

By Michael A. Sampsell

Format:DVD

I am an active duty Soldier and have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. If you want to see the truth and "experience" the reality we all face, watch this series. There is none of the normal Hollywood left wing/right wing garbage anywhere in this series. It has no agenda except to show America the raw truth. The attention to detail in this series is unmatched. Down to having grid coordinates written on the inside of the Humvee windshields on the Vehicle Commander's (front passenger) side. Which is something we all do. This is a 7 part series and it took me over two weeks to finish it. There were several times I had to just stop watching. That's not insulting it, that just shows how real it is. It shows the boredom, humor, horror and absolute heartbreak of combat. It pulls no punches. There is no shortage of regrettable civilian casualties, which sadly, is so often the case when facing an enemy with no uniform. It goes to great lengths to show the all too common incompetence of senior leaders who see combat tours and body bags as a means to quick promotions, and will take completely uncalculated risks to achieve that next rank, always at their men's expense. America, I can't say enough about this series. It's something everyone should see.

Michael A. Sampsell
SFC, USA
Cavalryman

45 of 54 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gritty & Genuine. The Best War TV Show Ever Created August 25, 2008

By Steven Stewart VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

When I first heard about Generation Kill, I expected it to simply be a glamorised version of the Iraq War where it shows everything working smoothly. What I didn't expect was a gritty and true story of the 1st Recon Marines during the first wave of the American invasion of Iraq. It didn't hold back, and honestly I would have hated it if they did. I later found out that this was based on the book written by journalist Evan Wright who followed this company during the initial invasion. I haven't read the book, but from the other stuff I've read I'm lead to believe it keeps true to the novel.

The show focuses around the 1st Recon Marines company as a part of the initial invasion of Iraq that eventually overthrew Sadaam Hussein. It shows the true struggles that the marines went through during this invasion as they struggled with supply shortages and conditions. They are joined by Rolling Stones reporter Evan Wright (Book Author) who's there to see what really goes on in the Marine Corps. It's not about Wright or is it even about one particular Marine, it's rather a show about the entire company and their particular personalities.

This is the more interesting and disturbing nature of the show. A lot of the soldiers displayed appear to have some real mental problems when it comes to their enthusiasm to kill anything in sight, or just their general views of the Iraqi people. It touches upon the civilian killings and how some order were actually made by the higher ups to kill any Iraqi whether they had weapons displayed or not. On one hand I would say it's wrong to have people with such mental problems i.e. a bit too enthusiastic to kill. On the other hand, if you didn't have these particular individuals then would we even have an army capable enough to fight such a war....

Another aspect of the show, aside from the disturbing images or the general crudeness of it all is the irreverent humour displayed. It's not intentional and certainly isn't set up to be hysterical, it simply comes across as that as within the conversations of some of these men, like any chat with friends etc. you always get the odd unintentional classic line. This gives the entire show a well rounded feel and is something to be experienced by everyone. I applaud those who are over in Iraq and Afghanistan as, unfortunately due to my ignorance before this show I didn't know things were so tough.

It's an overall great show and another classic creation by HBO. Be warned, however, as it is very graphic in relation to violence and if you're easily offended by strong or racist language then I would advise you stay away. Read more ›