SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Neive Bellamy Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Brent Burkwell First of all, no one laughs when someone suffers like this unless they happen to be evil or insane, I am neither. Now as to the claims made by this man, most if not all of his famous letter was either exaggerated or completely untrue. Yes, I know, I wasn't there. But other Veterans WERE and they paint quite a different picture than Tomas does. Tomas was injured, BADLY injured and the most horrific thing about this entire story is that the left wing lunatic fringe of this nation used his pain to further their hate of anything Conservative, GOP and of course, their hatred of the Bush administration. No matter if a person served in the military or not, it is very hard to prove to a thinking person that the war had ANYTHING at all to do with Cheney's greed, Bush's lies/greed or oil companies, since the facts CLEARLY show that none of them profited the way the left has claimed for all these years. The liberals will do anything to stay in political power, they will use anyone, even an injured,tortured individual like Tomas Young. If anyone truly cared for him they would have never used his pain for political gain, which they did, YES, they did. I generally have nothing negative to say about a veteran, but I cannot stay silent, Tomas Young was wrong. No matter how brave, no matter the level of his suffering, it doesn't make it right to protest the war when many of his fellow Veterans were in harms way, doing their job and suffering every bit as much as him and some even more. Many never came home like he did. This is sick. A bunch of liberals profiting from a Veterans pain, how's THAT for an accusation of profiteering ?

jim-2441 I expected to be depressed when I was finished watching this film but I had hoped there would be some inspiration within it. There is none. The filmmakers could not put something there that does not exist.These are the people who do the work in this country, and who volunteer to protect it. They have been betrayed. We all have. Our love for each other and our vote are all we seem to have left. This film tells us not to waste either of these things.I would like to tell the family portrayed in this film that I am glad I have gotten to feel a little of their pain. I can't offer help, and I don't imagine my sympathy helps much if at all. I've become involved in a documentary myself. It's called "Fuel". I'm credited as "assistant to the director". The film speaks out against war, greed, and corporate welfare. I hope it can help a little in making our country more independent, and maybe a little less likely to go to war again. I give my thanks to the makers of "Body of War". I hope many people watch it. I don't think it will change minds, but it's important to know the hurt caused by war.

bickelj This was a movie by war critics for war critics. I say unconvincing because if I were for the war, the majority of this movie would not persuade me in the other direction.Cons: hardly any convincing arguments against the war, timing makes it seem like a "vote Democrat this election" film, sometimes appears as though the protagonist was a tool of the hawks and now is a tool of the doves (rather than his own person).Pros: daily life of a wounded veteran is shown, reminders of the true cost of the war, reminder of the Congressional record and arguments made for/against, the one solid argument is made well by Senator Byrd.

JustCuriosity Body of War had its regional premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX where it was received by a highly sympathetic and supportive crowd. In the emerging cottage industry of Iraq War films, Body of War is one of the best. This is not about the war in Iraq as much as it is about the war at home. It follows in the ground of films like The Ground Truth and War Tapes by focusing largely on the Iraq War veterans.This film brings the tragedy of the Iraq War into human perspective by allowing us to view it mostly through the eyes of a single disabled war vet, Tomas Young of Kansas City. Tomas was severely wounded in the first few days of the war and is paralyzed from the chest down. He has struggled to put his life back together physically and emotionally. He has also become an activist speaking out against the lies that nearly killed him.The film intertwines Tomas's story with the footage of members of Congress voting on the War resolution in October, 2002. Its weakness is that the parts about the war vote are at times a little didactic and preachy. However, Sen. Robert Byrd clips and his cameo appearance do add a touch of class. Body of War is a powerful testament to the absurdity and dishonesty upon which the Iraq War was based. Tomas is a hero and he has suffered unspeakable pain, because his country sent him to fight an unnecessary war. He volunteered just after September 11 to go and fight the terrorists that attacked his country and was instead sent to fight to a war against a country that posed no threat to the United States. That is a tragedy both for Tomas and the nation.Tomas is a true patriot who is now fighting to bring his fellow soldiers home - including his own brother who is currently on his third tour in Iraq. Body of War is an unflinching film that presents some of the most intimate details of Tomas's physical and emotional suffering in order to help us understand how heavy the cost of this war for vets like Tomas. And yet, while the subject matter is disturbing, the film also uses humor and music to present the story in a manner that is not bleak.Most Americans have been isolated from the true costs of this war. We've been allowed to live our ordinary lives (as the administration cuts taxes) while a small portion of our military volunteers and their families have carried the burden for all of us. This is the type of film that Americans need to see so that we can understand the true cost of the war. Far too often, this sort of films simply preaches to the choir. It is my fervent hope that Americans who still support the Bush administration and the Iraq war will go and see this very moving and very personal film. There are too many Tomas Youngs who have suffered too much already.