Gunner Palace
Posted on March 3, 2005 at 4:15 pm
A-| Lowest Recommended Age: | Mature High Schooler |
| Profanity: | Extremely strong (but authentic) language, constant profanity and obscenity |
| Alcohol/ Drugs: | Smoking, alcohol and drug references |
| Violence/ Scariness: | Documentary footage of war zone, nothing explicit, real-life characters in the movie later reported dead |
| Diversity Issues: | A strength of the movie is the way diverse characters demonstrate friendship and loyalty |
| Date Released to Theaters: | 2005 |
A bunch of American kids in or just out of their teens are now living and working in Baghdad’s Azimiya Palace, built by Saddam Hussein for his son Uday. They are the Army’s 2/3 Field Artillery, known as the Gunners, and they have christened their new home “Gunner Palace.” They divide their time between enjoying Uday’s putting green and pool, going on raids to round up insurgents, trying to figure out who the insurgents are and whether their trusted interpreter is one of them, handing out pro-democracy posters and bumper stickers, and dodging bombs and RPGs (rocket-powered grenades). In this powerful documentary, they tell their own stories. This movie is not for or against the war or the Americans. It is on the side of the soldiers, and it is a movie everyone in America over the age of 15 should see.
Parents should know that this movie was originally rated R for its authentic portrayal of the soldiers’ constant profanity and obscenity. The movie also includes some explicit references to sexual activity and to drinking and drug use. Characters smoke and complain about not being allowed to drink. While the movie does not have any graphic violence, it is set in a war zone and there are many references to combat-style violence. Some of the soldiers who appear in the movie are reported dead by the time the movie is over.