Excellent documentary about the struggle of a heavy metal band to survive in Iraq.
Comment
06/05/08
Heavy Metal In Baghdad (2008)
91 %
Reviews Counted: 11 Fresh: 10 Rotten:1 Average Rating: 6.7/10
Runtime: 84 mins
Theatrical Release: Nov 30, 1999 Limited
Synopsis: Tales of survival in war-torn Iraq get a fascinating twist with this documentary. Starting in 2003, HEAVY METAL IN BAGHDAD follows Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda as they attempt to keep both their musical careers and themselves alive. Spike Jonze serves as an executive producer.... [More]
Genre: War, Documentary, Metal (Music)
Starring: Acrassicauda
Reviews
1 - 11 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
The low-budget movie's technical qualities aren't always the best, but considering the conditions under which the filmmakers worked, it's amazing that Heavy Metal in Baghdad was made at all.
05/23/08
The dangers these musicians experience every single day are bound to impact any audience. This is what it really looks like to bang your head against the wall.
05/23/08
More than just another Iraq-doc, Heavy Metal is a surprisingly up-close look at the toll of the war on young people, and how they still have dreams and still want to jam, party and get down.
05/23/08
Top Critic
An intrepid, unlikely and altogether splendid feat of D.I.Y. reportage.
05/23/08
Top Critic
The movie reclaims metal's appeal to the powerless as well as its threat--when you can get shot for wearing a Slipknot T-shirt (talk about "Death, be not proud")... raising those devil horns isn't an empty act of aggression.
05/21/08
Concentrating on the story of Acrassicauda, Iraq's sole metal band, filmmakers Moretti and Alvi reveal the heart-wrenching circumstances for the people caught between the occupiers and the militias.
05/09/08
Pic's chief drawback is onscreen narrator Suroosh Alvi (co-helming with Eddy Moretti), whose fratboy glee at their 'crazy mission' segues to such probing questions as, 'What's the vibe now?'
05/09/08
Top Critic
Whether you love or hate metal, Acrassicauda's struggle to stay together -- and alive -- will rock you.
05/09/08
... Heavy Metal in Baghdad shows a sliver of the impact the war in Iraq has had on the regular people living there who simply long to have the freedoms we have here.
04/15/08
1 - 11 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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