Restrepo

Dec 14, 2010 by James

I recently watched this movie on Netflix and felt compelled to tell you about it. The movie Restrepo covers the men of Second Platoon, Battle Company, 2nd Battalion, 503 Infantry Regiment of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team throughout their 15 month deployment in the Korangal valley of Afghanistan. The movie, and the outpost, were dedicated to PFC Juan S. Restrepo a medic who was killed early in the campaign. The movie is all real footage and it honestly makes you feel like you’re there with them. In between segments of battle you will see interviews with the members of 2nd platoon and their struggles both in Afghanistan and now back home.

Many media organizations, including CNN, called the Korangal valley the “deadliest place on earth” and it lived up to its title claiming more than 50 American lives. The American soldiers dubbed it the “valley of death.” The progress in the valley was so hampered by the intense fighting that the U.S. eventually pulled out of the Korangal valley in April 2010. The valley is also where SSG Sal Giunta earned his Medal of Honor by fending off the enemy and saving his comrades after being heavily ambushed and outnumbered. The unit covered in the film is the same unit that SSG Giunta serves in although he was not filmed.

The film is directed by American journalist Sebastian Junger and British photographer Tim Hetherington who were embedded with the unit for their year long deployment. The film received the Grand Jury Prize for best documentary of 2010 at the Sundance Film Festival. It is one of the highest rated films on Netflix with nearly 5 stars and it received a 97% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert gave the film 4 out of 4 stars. I would highly advise you to check it out as it is worth the watch. I would also suggest Sebastian Junger’s book War which covers his experience in Afghanistan as well as much more coverage of his time with Battle Company.

Restrepo