GrimPrecise
I'll tell you why so serious
Derry Herrera
Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.
runamokprods
The film makes some thought provoking moral distinctions between suicide bombing as a weapon of war for those without access to high tech weaponry (e.g. would it really be so different if a fighter dropped a bomb on the military convoy from a plane instead of attached to his chest?™) and as a weapon of terror used against civilians. It also does not deny that some who have used it as a weapon have done so after suffering heavy losses from others, instead of simply reducing them to crazy people acting in an irrational vacuum. It traces the roots of martyrdom in Islam back 1400 years, and explains how that history was twisted by the leaders in Iran to justify suicide bombings in spite of strict Islamic laws against suicide. Yet, in spite of the intensity and complexity of the subject, the dramatic, sometimes upsettingly graphic footage, and the somewhat over the top music, it starts to get a little repetitive and flat. And it curiously ignores other historical suicide bombings, like the Japanese Kamikaze WWII pilots, declaring that suicide bombing was "˜invented" by Iran in the war with Iraq.
spartan_diablo
first of all i don't believe in the conspiracy theory..but i can not understand the 'intentional' repeated view to the Arabic and/or Muslim as a prepared terrorist from the first moment in his life instead of crying to breath he said death to America. well am not defending my people but i think we need some justice here. all the hate you see in the movie not because of the Islamic clerks control..or the Islamic barbarian nature -as they want you to think-it's simply a reaction for 54 years struggle to get the Palestinian rights back. we can accept Israel as a neighbor..but in return we can't accept that every Arabian house has a victim. the story as in many previous movies & in media told from the end not the start ..if you set back & relax & put it in the action &reaction contest you will be able to figure the general idea of the ultimate fighting is about. another question after all what happen in occupied Palestine is military resistance.. so why all the media & obviously the movie maker insist on covering it from an Islamic point of view while in regard to the brutal fights like in Latin America it's about the liberty & getting red of corruption. as long as the 'western world'keep suffering from myopia in the case of the Arabic character view no one can predict what the ship that carry us all in the unrest future sea where it will land.
julien-52
Ever since the 1980s, when a suicide bomber blew up up U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Baer has been trying to figure out who did it and, probably, why. This documentary is his journey into the cult of "martyrdom," looking at its origins in Iran and its spread through Lebanon, Israel, the Gaza Strip, and now virtually everywhere. I found the doc very informative, offering interviews with people only Baer could get an audience with - such as the thousands of prisoners in Israeli prisons and several key suicide bomber organizers. As the previous reviewer said, Baer has some real courage to be in some of these places, particularly Hezbollah controlled areas and Iran where people are shouting "death to America." It's also interesting to go inside of those countries to see for ourselves the kind of propaganda that's everywhere, such as a myriad of posters of suicided bombers. The doc raises several important questions, including how can countries that value their lives counter countries that don't? It's almost like the harikari pilots all over again. What's more, they feel glorified in death, and become instant heroes when they die. Parents happily sign authorization forms for them to become merchants of suicide. Watching it, you'll stare ahead with your mouth open in disbelief. In fact, it kind of reminds me of serial killers, who claim they killed more people than they did because of the prestige. Suicide bombing is a growing threat to everyone, and I think this film sheds a bit of much needed light on the subject. Keep up the good work Baer. Love to see more.
mike-1230
First off I am a big fan of Robert Baer. I have read all of his books and enjoy listening to his commentary whenever he gets called on to be a talking head on the news networks. So I was quite excited to find this doc on the torrents. Not the best documentary in the world, but certainly well worth seeing. It's a bit rough around the edges for sure, but I think with a few more docs under his belt he will hopefully develop his skill more. If anything, its worth seeing just for the scenes in Iran where standing on a side stage, prone to an audience of thousands, the cleric in the mosque is calling for the death to America. Holy crap! That's guts to stand there with literally thousands of people chanting for the death of you and your country.
