from theguardian.co.uk
after a somewhat bittersweet conclusion to the wire - at last everyone was
watching, but for the first time the usually ecstatic reviews expressed some
reservations about the series - writers david simon and ed burns have left
their home turf of baltimore and headed further afield - to iraq.
the duo's new seven-part miniseries, generation kill, begins on american cable
channel hbo on sunday july 13. the programme is based on the book of the same
name by rolling stone journalist evan wright, who spent two months embedded
with us marines when the iraq war began in 2003. wire fans can welcome back
cast members james ransome and benjamin busch.
judging by the trailers already released, generation kill seems to tread
familiar ground for those who have seen recent no-holds-barred depictions of
modern american warfare. knuckleheaded soldiers in their early 20s insult
iraqis, whoop, swear, talk about heavy metal and sex, and fire off rounds
left, right and centre while driving through dusty desert in customised
humvees.
that isn't especially promising. but trailers for the wire also tried to
reduce it to something more straightforward and simplistic than it was, and
simon's comments suggesting he wants generation kill to make "human beings
cognizant about what warfare is and what it means to kill" indicate more may
be under the surface. a short clip on the hbo website focusing on the prickly
relationship between wright (played by lee tergesen) and the marines he is
profiling also shows potential.
although generation kill is based on impressive source material - the new york
times said of the book: "wright has eyes you trust" - simon and burns have
always been at their best when depicting those parts of life they know well
themselves, whether the police and gangsters simon encountered as a crime
reporter and burns as a policeman, or the classrooms burns knew from his time
as a teacher. when researching the corner - their previous, equally impressive
show (and book) - the two spent four years hanging out with heroin addicts,
crack dealers and their friends and families in the open-air drug markets of
east baltimore. compared to that kind of research, they come to iraq
relatively green.
but the triumph of the wire was to humanise flawed, richly interesting
characters without glamorising them, and it's not difficult to imagine this
clear-eyed, non-judgmental approach applied fruitfully to the youthful marines
of generation kill. the writers' interest in the obstructive and reductive
nature of bureaucracy and lines of command could also easily transfer to the
context of the army.
generation kill begins on hbo at 9pm on sunday july 13, and hbo promise it
will be broadcast in britain within the next few months.
after a somewhat bittersweet conclusion to the wire - at last everyone was
watching, but for the first time the usually ecstatic reviews expressed some
reservations about the series - writers david simon and ed burns have left
their home turf of baltimore and headed further afield - to iraq.
the duo's new seven-part miniseries, generation kill, begins on american cable
channel hbo on sunday july 13. the programme is based on the book of the same
name by rolling stone journalist evan wright, who spent two months embedded
with us marines when the iraq war began in 2003. wire fans can welcome back
cast members james ransome and benjamin busch.
judging by the trailers already released, generation kill seems to tread
familiar ground for those who have seen recent no-holds-barred depictions of
modern american warfare. knuckleheaded soldiers in their early 20s insult
iraqis, whoop, swear, talk about heavy metal and sex, and fire off rounds
left, right and centre while driving through dusty desert in customised
humvees.
that isn't especially promising. but trailers for the wire also tried to
reduce it to something more straightforward and simplistic than it was, and
simon's comments suggesting he wants generation kill to make "human beings
cognizant about what warfare is and what it means to kill" indicate more may
be under the surface. a short clip on the hbo website focusing on the prickly
relationship between wright (played by lee tergesen) and the marines he is
profiling also shows potential.
although generation kill is based on impressive source material - the new york
times said of the book: "wright has eyes you trust" - simon and burns have
always been at their best when depicting those parts of life they know well
themselves, whether the police and gangsters simon encountered as a crime
reporter and burns as a policeman, or the classrooms burns knew from his time
as a teacher. when researching the corner - their previous, equally impressive
show (and book) - the two spent four years hanging out with heroin addicts,
crack dealers and their friends and families in the open-air drug markets of
east baltimore. compared to that kind of research, they come to iraq
relatively green.
but the triumph of the wire was to humanise flawed, richly interesting
characters without glamorising them, and it's not difficult to imagine this
clear-eyed, non-judgmental approach applied fruitfully to the youthful marines
of generation kill. the writers' interest in the obstructive and reductive
nature of bureaucracy and lines of command could also easily transfer to the
context of the army.
generation kill begins on hbo at 9pm on sunday july 13, and hbo promise it
will be broadcast in britain within the next few months.
