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Critics Consensus: Forsaking narrative structure for pure visceral power, Restrepo plunges viewers into the experiences of soldiers on the front lines of the Afghan War.
Critic Consensus: Forsaking narrative structure for pure visceral power, Restrepo plunges viewers into the experiences of soldiers on the front lines of the Afghan War.
All Critics (114) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (110) | Rotten (4) | DVD (3)
Restrepo avoids political discussion. It just revels in the heroism of these impossibly young, brave soldiers who follow orders that at times seem pointless because following them is what their country has asked them to do.
It is a scary, moving and troubling film.
The camera lingers on the soldiers' smiles and tears and shows the human face of military tactics which reduce people to chess pieces.
At this point in all our Middle Eastern conflicts, we need more from a documentary than just a grunts-eye-view of the frustrating nature of the war.
The directors were satisfied with telling us about a group of courageous, honorable young soldiers -- a salute these men richly deserve.
A look at both the tragic folly of war and the camaraderie of men under pressure, the documentary Restrepo holds both hope and horror.
It's been a long time since journalists have shown combat so close up; it's possible that it has never been shot so intimately. There's nothing prurient or exploitative or glorifying or even editorial about it. The camera is there. We are there.
The unnerving thousand-yard-stare of McDonaugh is impressively disturbing, but the constant anxious smile of Cortez carries a haunting emotional impact.
Junger and Hetherington developed a deep sense of connection with these young men... The connection is what gives this film such power. This is war. There's no political viewpoint, no narration... you're just there with the soldiers.
No one in Restrepo analyzes the war in Afghanistan in political terms or even describes it in terms of goals larger than the day-to-day mission. And yet, simply by bearing witness, the movie is a call to action.
its most emotionally raw moments are indicative of their military subjects' exceptional comfort level with their observers ( ... ) the arid yet woody outcroppings high above the valley are an intriguing new terrain
Restrepo succeeds as both a remarkable piece of cinéma vérité documentary filmmaking and a tribute to the soldiers who are put through hell.
War documentaries aren't all that new, since news reels have been played in the beginning of penny shows at the start of the twenties, but this is so obtuse and discomforting. It's of this time, it revolves around people that are close to our hearts, and more horrifying they have been there for a long time. Journalist Sebastian Junger and filmmaking partner Tim Hetherington spent years shadowing a platoon in the infamous Korengal Valley, one of the most dangerous places in any war zone. Surrounded by the enemy at all times, the men go through a spectrum of attacks and retribution just to seize this bit of territory from Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and possibly kill the men who killed their own. Their squad leader, barely distinguishable from his young squadron, tries to find common ground with the local sages, but time and again cultural barriers turn the tides, including the death of a cow in their fencing. The platoon early on loses a medic named Restrepo, who they name their Observational Point after. Building the OP in itself is difficult thanks to the frequent firefights that come with the cursing of broken down soldiers. More than one time the soldiers are seen in the outpost firing at some unseen entity, cursing and cajoling their fellow soldiers into action. They do joke around quite a bit as well, and turn to one another for comfort through humor at the worst of times but most of the time it's all grief, travesty, and horror. At one point in the film a solider is cut down by gunfire and a fellow soldier cries out in horror for a long while as the others try to get him to keep fighting. Their leader bucks them up, and turns the unseen forces around them into an enemy based on the hatred the soldiers feel at losing their friends. It becomes an unending cycle, and by the end you're happy that they have gotten out, as unnerving and traumatic as it was for them. Very well put together, edited, and composed, this is a true look at the state of Afghanistan's relations with US soldiers and the situation there. This is more about relations than the horrors of war, which are all the more impactful thanks to soldier's interviews with the directors afterwards. It's just a riveting watch, for anyone out there limiting themselves on the debate of the war.
Super Reviewer
Restrepo is a visceral, powerful documentary on the war in Afghanistan, but I found it to be way over-hyped. It wasn't as powerful or as war-like as I expected it to be, but that put aside, I felt that the film did a good job of documenting the terror, and the camaraderie that these people felt. Beautifully shot, well edited, insightful and exciting, Restrepo is one of the better war documentaries.
This was an excellent documentary that gives an inside look at the war in Iraq. This documentary has everything including the firefights of war, losing teammates, being away from family, etc. It gives a lot of good insight about what the soldiers do there, why they are there, and how dangerous it really is to be over in Iraq. This documentary was really scary and heartbreaking. The fallen teammates' stories were really sad and depressing. The fact that the soldiers saw their teammates die/get injured then were able to keep fighting really shows how strong they are. This documentary is a good tribute to Restrepo and I literally almost cried at the end. It was so sad. This documentary is by far the best I have ever seen. It's all true and it's right there in the action- in the most dangerous post in Afghanistan. This documentary does a fantastic job at showing the other side of the Iraqi war.
Restrepo is a well made documentary about the last military outpost in the Korengal Valley. This outpost is surrounded by enemy Taliban Insurgents. The Korengal Valley was dubbed the dangerous posting of U.S Military. Restrepo is a very good insight into the combat environment of what these men go through. Throughout the course of the documentary, we see two of their own get KIA, and the cost on some soldiers. The documentary is well done, this is as close to combat as any civilian would like to get the film manages to capture the real essence of combat, and the camaraderie that develops between soldiers throughout the course of their deployment. The film manages to give the viewer the taste of a combat environment. You experience the hardships that the troops undergo as they fight in the most dangerous region of Afghanistan. This almost a perfect documentary film, but in the end it felt like watching any other documentary or TV show on the Military Channel or History Channel. For what its worth, Restrepo give you an in depth taste of combat. I thought that the filmmakers did a great job at capturing the feel of battle, but where the film failed slightly was showing the real toll on the soldiers' state of mind. Most of them didn't seem that distraught. Only a few showed emotion talking about their experience. Restrepo is still an interesting film that shows the chaos of warfare, but its nothing groundbreaking. I've seen similar stuff before.
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