Review: I held high expectations for Gunner’s Palace when I rented it recently. The film has garnered a fair amount of praise for its unique approach to the Iraq War as director Michael Tucker chose to detail the lives of the soldiers involved rather than the issues present. Unfortunately, my expectations were higher than the film’s result. Though you expect to hear the stories of some of the soldiers, instead you get a mere taste of who they are- and more often than not, you will wish you had never sampled. The characters are not likeable, and I think many people will cringe to think that these are the people they are sending to another country to promote democracy. It could be for this reason that Tucker chose not to get as close to the soldiers as he might have originally intended,, because more often then not you still feel a level of disconnect. For instance, when Tucker mentions the names of the people he met in Iraq, one would have expected this to be an eye opener, granting viewers the realization that there are soldiers in Iraq with feelings, personalities and loved ones back home in the U.S. who are dying on a daily basis. Unfortunately, we are not able to come close enough to experience this and the names fall silently out of existence. On a much worse note, there is a certain level of racial profiling within the film that I think Tucker did not intend, but never the less occurred. The characters we are allowed to see interviewed are predominately white. It is these characters who reveal their intentions and personalities, while the African American soldiers are relegated to rapping for the camera. I won’t lie, I love these moments where we witness soldiers free-styling lyrics that have developed in their minds while fighting in hostile territories, but I hoped they would be followed up with interviews or insights into their own emotions. Even with those complaints there are a few positive notes that help salvage Gunner’s Palace. For one, the film avoids any political motivations or propaganda that are common in nearly all Iraq War documentaries. This is a wonderful breath of fresh air that should allow viewers to perceive the reality of war (not just this war, but any and every conflict in this modern era). Though I wish Tucker would have been more willing to get as close to the personalities as he did to the conflicts (there are many harrowing moments and an unbelievable amount of access), I cannot knock him for his unique approach. Though you, like me, may ultimately demand more from Gunner’s Palace that does not mean it is worth missing, especially if you are searching for a film that paints an a-political view of military life in a hostile territory. Review by Matthew Abshire Informative: 2- Though you will appreciate the unique approach, you will expect more from the story. Entertainment: 3- the thought of seeing the true personalities of today’s soldiers may draw you in, but it won’t necessarily keep you entirely engaged. Technical: 4- camera work that isn’t afraid to get into the scenes and lives of the people they follow. Overall: 2.5- A good, non-political look at the lives of a group of soldiers, but ultimately there isn’t much that helps this documentary stand out from the dozens of other Iraq war pieces to come out in the past few years.
 
GunFormat: DVD Year: 2005 Running Time: 86 Min Distributor: Palm Pictures Producer: Petra Epperlein Director: Michael Tucker Date Reviewed: 9-12-2007 Story: Get inside the heads of our troops in Iraq via this engrossing portrait. Director Michael Tucker lived with 2/3 Field Artillery ("The Gunners") for two months and captured the humanity of these soldiers, whose barracks in the most volatile section of Baghdad are the ransacked pleasure palace of Uday Hussein. Tucker's footage provides a rare look at the lives of these soldiers, whether they're swimming in Uday's pool or raiding terrorist lairs (NetFlix).