Full Battle Rattle

Full Battle Rattle
Directed byJesse Moss
Tony Gerber
Produced byJesse Moss
Tony Gerber
Music byPaul Brill
Release date
Running time
95 minutes

Full Battle Rattle is a 2008 American war documentary film directed by Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber.

Plot

The film is about the war simulation in the fictional Iraqi town of Medina Wasl that the US Army built in the Mojave Desert, which is used to help train its army units before they deploy to Iraq.[1]

Production

The pair were granted permission to live inside the simulation for the duration of a three-week training rotation. Moss and Gerber filmed on both sides of the “war”: Gerber lived with the Army Brigade in training and Moss lived in Medina Wasl. The duo used war films such as Three Kings, Hearts and Minds, and Coming Home along with the works of Robert Altman as references when developing the film.[2]

Release

Full Battle Rattle made its world premiere at the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival.[3][4]

Reception

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 77% based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Full Battle Rattle is an insightful, eye-opening account of the preparations soldiers must make for their service in Iraq."[5]

David Edelstein of New York magazine called the film “an indelible vision of modern war”.[6] A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote: “Remarkably thorough and detailed. The film emphasizes the strangeness and complexity of the conflict.”[1]

It won the Special Jury Prize at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b Scott, A.O. (July 9, 2008). "Movie review -Full Battle Rattle (2007)". New York Times. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  2. ^ Dawson, Nick. "Tony Gerber & Jesse Moss, Full Battle Rattle". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  3. ^ Ben Nieporent. "eFilmCritic - SXSW '08 Interview: "Full Battle Rattle" Directors Tony Gerber and Jesse Moss". efilmcritic.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  4. ^ Honeycutt, Kirk (February 12, 2008). "Full Battle Rattle". The Hollywood Reporter. AP News. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  5. ^ ""Full Battle Rattle" (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media.
  6. ^ Edelstein, David (July 3, 2008). "The War Zone at Home". New York. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  7. ^ Jones, Michael (2008-03-12). "2008 SXSW Jury Awards announced". Variety. Retrieved 2021-03-14.