The doc gets up-close and personal. It shows one injured vet's reality after war.
Body of War (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 37
Fresh: 27
Rotten:10
Average Rating: 6.8/10
Consensus: Unapologetically political, this intimate and heart wrenching profile of an Iraq veteran may be rough around the edges but takes a potent stance with determination and compassion.
Runtime: 87 mins
Synopsis: Tomas Young is another casualty of the war in Iraq. After less than a week on duty, a bullet wound to the back left him paralyzed. This emotional documentary follows the veteran as he returns home and undergoes a transformation, becoming one... Tomas Young is another casualty of the war in Iraq. After less than a week on duty, a bullet wound to the back left him paralyzed. This emotional documentary follows the veteran as he returns home and undergoes a transformation, becoming one of the many voices protesting the war. Directed by Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro, BODY OF WAR features two original songs performed by Eddie Vedder. [More]
DVD Info
Release:
Oct 28, 2008
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
- (unspecified) English
Additional Release Material:
- Additional Footage - CSPAN Coverage of the House and Senate Debates
- Deleted Scenes
- Interview - 1. MSNBC Interview with Phil Donahue
- 2. Bill Moyers Panel: Phil Donahue & Ella Spiro
- Music Video- Eddie Vedder "No More"
- Trailers - Theatrical Trailer
Text/Photo Galleries:
- Biographies - Filmmaker Biography
Reviews for Body of War
Whatever you think of the film, Body of War stirs up real admiration for its subject.
"Body of War" is so simple-minded and ham-handed in its case against the war that it ends up diluting its own argument.
Body of War is a powerful and effective documentary because it keeps its focus very tight and makes its story vivid in personal terms.
The lack of ego and relatively little self-pity [wheelchair-bound Tomas] Young has is astounding.
Donahue and Spiro should've spent more time exploring the human moments and much less time browbeating us with stuff we already know.
It's the soldier in Iraq who fights on in the face of public apathy at home. The hope in this vital film is that the voices of soldiers will be raised. They will fight on until their mission is accomplished and the Iraq war is history.
[Tomas Young] deserves better treatment from the government than he's gotten as a returning veteran, and a better movie than this simpleminded indictment of every senator who voted 'yea.'
Body of War again demonstrates that we Americans still have some bitter truths to face.
The overreaching Spiro and Donahue are not content to persuade viewers; they insist on convincing us.
It is not merely an antiwar document, but a complex profile in courage of a paraplegic and patriot.
Body of War makes no bones about its activism. Then again, like the others, it's the willingness to contextualize events and apply reason to them that makes it and others so valuable.
On the lower tier of the numerous docs about the war and the Middle East.
Body of War is neither the most cinematic nor the most elegantly crafted of recent Iraq war documentaries, but that doesn’t stop it from being one of the most deeply affecting.
A tough, affecting documentary about an American soldier in the Iraq war.
A chance to witness the struggles of a remarkable young man. Young may be paralyzed in the body, but his mind is fiercely alive.
Half an excellent and touching profile of a young veteran, but unfortunately, half a strident anti-war propaganda film.
Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro's powerful documentary takes a microcosmic look at the war and its devastation by focusing on a single casualty.
Latest News for Body of War
November 20, 2007:
Fifteen Documentaries Vie for Oscar Consideration
A little over a week after reporting the names of the dozen films being submitted for Oscar consideration in the animated feature film category, Variety has given readers the... More...
Related Forums for Body of War
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by: ReelReviewer.com 11/19/07
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