# Gunner Palace -Documentry on the war in Iraq



## D-n-A (14 Dec 2004)

http://www.gunnerpalace.com/



> GUNNER PALACE reveals the complex realities of the situation in Iraq not seen on the nightly news. Told first-hand by our troops, 'Gunner Palace' presents a thought provoking portrait of a dangerous and chaotic war that is personal, highly emotional, sometimes disturbing, surprisingly amusing ... and thoroughly fascinating.
> 
> Filmmaker Michael Tucker, who lived with 2/3 Field Artillery, a.k.a. "The Gunners" for two months, captures the lives and humanity of these soldiers whose barracks are the bombed-out pleasure palace of Uday Hussein (nicknamed Gunner Palace), situated in the heart of the most volatile section of Baghdad. With total access to all operations and activities, Tucker's insider footage provides a rare look at the day-to-day lives of these soldiers on the ground -- whether swimming in Uday's pool and playing golf on his putting green or executing raids on suspected terrorists, enduring roadside bombs, mortar attacks, RPGs and snipers.



Trailer
http://anon.salon.speedera.net/anon.salon/media/2004/12/GunnerPalace_small.mov


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## Pieman (14 Dec 2004)

Looks great! I can't wait for that to come out, I hope they show it in theaters here.


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## chrisf (14 Dec 2004)

While I subscribe heavily to the philosophy of "Any idiot can be uncomfortable", one does have to question, if you're spending your days hunting insurgents by kicking in the doors of a population that often sees you as a opressive occupying force, is it really wise to live in a palace that stands as a rather oppulent symbol of the old opressive regime? 

Admitedly, the question can be asked, where else would you stay? And what else would you do with the otherwise onoccupied buildings? Demolish them? Open them to squatters? 

I'm just curious if there's any strategic sense to living occupying the palace as a barracks... the only thing that I can think of off the top of my head is the possibility that it's reinforced and would make a good defensive, but that's about it.

[Note: Playing devil's advocate aside, it does look like it would an interesting documentary to see]


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## 48Highlander (14 Dec 2004)

You have a point there....I especially like the line about them swiming in his swimming pool.  A friend of mine who was over in Afghanistan said they'd seriously considered setting up a swiming pool, untill they thought about how such a luxury might look to civilians who have problems getting clean drinking water.


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## chrisf (15 Dec 2004)

Of course, the point is largely moot, as I doubt moving *out* of the palace would have any positive effect on the populace (Though it would halt any negatives effects), and would definitly have a serious *negative* impact on the moral of the troops.


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## Infanteer (27 Jul 2005)

Just rented this one tonight, I highly recommend it - you can see alot of the themes we debate around these parts underscored in the American soldiers and the Iraqis and how they interact with each other.

If anything, it is a good view of the "shut up and die ranks" who bear the brunt of any war.


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## SeanPaul_031 (2 Aug 2005)

I just rented this the other night too, I enjoyed it. Mostly because there is no 'real' narration by the guy filming everything. Its all the soldiers doing the talking, the camera is focused on them the entire time. There is no third person that interrupts and gives you his opinion (like Michael Moore always does). The cameraman is 'just there' filming the soldiers and he keeps his mouth shut which I like because it doesnt give you a biased opinion on anything.

Theres a really funny scene where one of the soldiers is describing for us the side armor installed on his truck, and how its purpose is to slow down the shrapnel just enough so that it doesnt go completely through you but stops short embedded in you. It doesnt sound funny reading it but youll see in the movie everyone is cracking up.


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## Cpl.Banks (4 Aug 2005)

Yeah looks like a good movie, except they show the part with the armour that is supposed to slow down the shrapnel in the preview...
Out of curiosity would Rogers, or blockbusters have this movie?
UBIQUE!!!


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## CADPAT SOLDIER (9 Aug 2005)

Walmart has it, and I must confess I downloaded the movie months ago before it hit theaters, I'm a crook.

So if you can't find it anywhere LimeWire always has a copy for you


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## Cloud Cover (12 Aug 2005)

Cpl.Banks(Cdt.) said:
			
		

> Yeah looks like a good movie, except they show the part with the armour that is supposed to slow down the shrapnel in the preview...
> Out of curiosity would Rogers, or blockbusters have this movie?
> UBIQUE!!!



Rented it from Rogers last night. I enjoyed it immensely, despite the fact that I positively despise RAP music. The nightly casevac must be a depressing spectacle for the newbies deplaning from inbound the aircraft.

Did you notice how the soldiers try and keep their distance at times from the children, while at other times they seem to really reach out and act more friendly?


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## Pieman (19 Aug 2005)

Picked this up tonight at blockbuster. Really enjoyed it. The film really gives you a perspective from the soldiers point of view that simply cannot be found anywhere else.   I can only imagine how frightening and stressful it must be to have to go on patrol and constantly worry about getting hit by an IED. It is a tough situation those guys have to go out into each day.


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## Prophet (6 Oct 2005)

Pieman said:
			
		

> Picked this up tonight at blockbuster. Really enjoyed it. The film really gives you a perspective from the soldiers point of view that simply cannot be found anywhere else.   I can only imagine how frightening and stressful it must be to have to go on patrol and constantly worry about getting hit by an IED. It is a tough situation those guys have to go out into each day.



ya and the worst part of it is when there trying to help the people hurt and see if everyone is alright then the cciviliansstart throwing rock and stuff at them. its just sad to see.


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## Big Red (6 Oct 2005)

I'm glad I only paid $1 for my copy from the hadji mart. Everyone that I've loaned it to has come to the same conclusion, it blows. The soldiers they found for the interviews were tards, the constant rapping was annoying, and the main character seemed like a social reject.


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## Prophet (6 Oct 2005)

Big Red said:
			
		

> The soldiers they found for the interviews were tards,   and the main character seemed like a social reject.



Well the point was not to have acters do it, its a documentry about the day-to-day lives of real soilders in iraqi war time how stupid would that be it they didn't put someones opions in just because you think hes a "social reject" or a "tard". its a documentry about the 2/3 field artillery that stays in uday's palace (gunners palace).


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## 48Highlander (6 Oct 2005)

It just means the yanks were negligent in performing their duties.

Now, in MY regement, we HIDE the retards and social rejects when the cameras show up  ;D


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## Prophet (6 Oct 2005)

48Highlander said:
			
		

> Now, in MY regement, we HIDE the retards and social rejects when the cameras show up   ;D



lol


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## KID (6 Nov 2005)

theres probably cameras at his regiment right now, thats why he's at home on his computer


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## CBH99 (6 Nov 2005)

I rented this movie a week or so ago, and I must say - a pretty damn good movie.  I especially liked how the cameraman filmed himself making coffee in his own home, comparing it to the harsh reality the soldiers in Iraq had to live in.

One event that disturbed me was near the beginning, when the soldiers raided a house thought to be a bomb making plant.  They raided the house, and detained everybody who lived in that house except for the woman.  They didn't find anything that had to do with bomb making, yet this still arrested the 2 men who lives in that house and their 2 visitors.  Why??

Otherwise, a very good movie though.


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## Wolfe (6 Nov 2005)

I've seen it 3 times, i liked. Its a good documentary, i watched it on the military Chanel, also another good documentary is the hunt for saddam...

Wolf


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## 043 (8 Dec 2005)

48Highlander said:
			
		

> It just means the yanks were negligent in performing their duties.
> 
> Now, in MY regement, we HIDE the retards and social rejects when the cameras show up   ;D



I can't help but bite back at this one.

If you hide the "Retards and social rejects" from the cameras, why are they in your unit??? I am sure that the "Retards and social rejects" are just as proud to be in your unit as you are.  If  you don't want them to give discredit to your unit, get rid of them. If you can't, I argue that they are not "Retards and social rejects". Maybe the problem is from within????


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## Clément Barbeau Vermet (8 Dec 2005)

I have seen it on discovery military channel two. I prefer ''Over There''.


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## 48Highlander (9 Dec 2005)

2023 said:
			
		

> I can't help but bite back at this one.
> 
> If you hide the "Retards and social rejects" from the cameras, why are they in your unit??? I am sure that the "Retards and social rejects" are just as proud to be in your unit as you are.  If  you don't want them to give discredit to your unit, get rid of them. If you can't, I argue that they are not "Retards and social rejects". Maybe the problem is from within????



Eh...I'm not sure how you handle it in the regs, but in the reserves it's damn near impossible to get rid of someone.  Either that or the senior leadership doesn't have the willpower, and the junior leadership doesn't know how   Either way, it always seems like the most gung-ho troops we get are always the ones to leave within a year or two, while the guys who can't dress themselves without two privates helping and a Sgt. supervising are the ones who stick around for the next decade.


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## chrisf (9 Dec 2005)

Clément Barbeau Vermet said:
			
		

> I have seen it on discovery military channel two. I prefer ''Over There''.



"Gunner's Palace" is a factual documentary, "Over There" is a fictional drama... I don't really see the comparison.


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## Clément Barbeau Vermet (9 Dec 2005)

Just a Sig Op said:
			
		

> "Gunner's Palace" is a factual documentary, "Over There" is a fictional drama... I don't really see the comparison.



Well...I know, but ''Over There'' is certainly not as fictional as ''Save Private Ryan'', for example.


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## chrisf (9 Dec 2005)

No, I'd say it's probably more.


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## Clément Barbeau Vermet (11 Dec 2005)

Just a Sig Op said:
			
		

> No, I'd say it's probably more.


Wy? I always thought sending a squad to safe one single soldier was the perfect example of Hollywood not knowing a lot on war but knowing it is going to touch the auditory...snif...


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## BruceinAlberta (17 Dec 2005)

I just got back from Iraq a few months ago where I commanded a NG mech inf BN.  Gunner's Palace is pretty good on showing the complexities facing our guys in Iraq.  However, you're not going to find our guys in palaces anymore.  We're basically in secured base camps or base clusters.  The palaces are pretty much off limits to the grunts now.


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## meni0n (17 Dec 2005)

Clement, then I guess you think blackhawk down was fiction too then eh?


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## Clément Barbeau Vermet (21 Dec 2005)

meni0n said:
			
		

> Clement, then I guess you think blackhawk down was fiction too then eh?



No, why would I think that? Save Private Ryan is not a fiction, the story is adapted for the auditoria but the context is totally real.


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## TN2IC (7 Jan 2006)

Okay I just seen the movie last night.... two thumbs up. It was a good movie. Every part in the movie was edcating. It makes me understand better on the conflict in Iraq.

 ;D

Two Thumbs Up!!


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