''Boys of Abu Ghraib'' is a 2014 American
war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
film inspired by
the events
''Derren Brown: The Events'' is a Channel 4 television series featuring the illusionist Derren Brown. Filmed in front of a live studio audience, this series is made up of four one-hour specials, during which Brown attempted what he had describe ...
that took place at the
Abu Ghraib prison
Abu Ghraib prison ( ar, سجن أبو غريب, ''Sijn Abū Ghurayb'') was a prison complex in Abu Ghraib, Iraq, located west of Baghdad. Abu Ghraib prison was opened in the 1950s and served as a maximum-security prison with torture, weekly exe ...
in
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
,
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
in 2003, in the background of the
Iraq war
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
. It was written and directed by
Luke Moran, who co-stars alongside
Sean Astin
Sean Patrick Astin (né Duke; February 25, 1971) is an American actor. His acting roles include Samwise Gamgee in ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003), Mikey Walsh in ''The Goonies'' (1985), Daniel Ruettiger in ''Rudy'' (1993), Doug ...
,
Omid Abtahi
Omid Abtahi ( fa, امید ابطحی) is an Iranian-American actor. noorfilmfestival.com Accessed 2016-1-28 He is best known for his roles as Salim in Starz Original '' American Gods'', Doctor Pershing in ''The Mandalorian'' on Disney+, Saleem ...
,
Sara Paxton
Sara Paxton (born April 25, 1988) is an American actress, voice artist, and singer. She began acting at an early age, appearing in minor roles in both films and television shows, before rising to fame in 2004, after playing the title role in the t ...
, and
John Heard. Filmmakers
Edward Zwick
Edward M. Zwick (born October 8, 1952) is an American filmmaker and producer of film and television. He has worked primarily in the comedy drama and historical drama, epic historical film genres, including ''About Last Night (1986 film), About L ...
and
Marshall Herskovitz
Marshall Schreiber Herskovitz (born February 23, 1952) is an American film director, writer, and producer, and currently the President Emeritus of the Producers Guild of America. Among his productions are ''Traffic'', '' The Last Samurai'', '' ...
served as executive producers on the film, which was produced by Luke Moran and Cru Ennis.
The film was released in U.S. theaters on March 28, 2014.
Plot
The film starts in 2003, the day before 22-year-old Jack Farmer (Luke Moran) ships out for Iraq, having joined the Army Reserves in hopes of being part of something bigger than himself.
He and dozens of other young men arrive at Abu Ghraib, a prison located 20 miles from Baghdad. CO Capt. Hayes (
Scott Patterson
Scott Gordon Patterson (born September 11, 1958) is an American actor and musician. He is known for his role as Luke Danes in ''Gilmore Girls'' and as Special Agent Peter Strahm in the ''Saw'' films. He also starred as Michael Buchanan in the ...
) greets them with a rousing speech about them standing on the front lines of the war against terrorism, but the poor living conditions and boredom begin to wear on the soldiers. Jack requests MP duty, undaunted by the cautionary tale of an earlier volunteer who had the same idea and wound up shooting himself in the foot to escape. With no training, briefing or idea what to expect, Jack is transferred to "Hard Site"—a cellblock that supposedly houses hard-core terrorists. His new boss, Sgt. Tanner (
Sean Astin
Sean Patrick Astin (né Duke; February 25, 1971) is an American actor. His acting roles include Samwise Gamgee in ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003), Mikey Walsh in ''The Goonies'' (1985), Daniel Ruettiger in ''Rudy'' (1993), Doug ...
), tells him that the Hard Site's guiding principle is "no compassion"; their job is to "soften up" prisoners for military interrogators. This includes tactics like sensory deprivation, humiliation and isolation.
Jack has his reservations about the treatment of detainees at the prison. He strikes up a friendship with one of the detainees Ghazi Hammoud (
Omid Abtahi
Omid Abtahi ( fa, امید ابطحی) is an Iranian-American actor. noorfilmfestival.com Accessed 2016-1-28 He is best known for his roles as Salim in Starz Original '' American Gods'', Doctor Pershing in ''The Mandalorian'' on Disney+, Saleem ...
), a London-educated engineer. Just days before they were scheduled to return home, Jack and his unit learn that their
tour of duty
For military personnel, a tour of duty is usually a period of time spent in combat or in a hostile environment. In an army, for instance, soldiers on active duty serve 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the length of their service commitment. ...
has been extended by six months. They are devastated but continue their day to day duties. Hammoud is subjected to multiple rough interrogations. The guards shackle him to the cell so he is forced to stand and tell Jack to let him shit himself. When Jack finally confronts his fellow soldiers, defending Hammoud's innocence, he learns that Hammoud has confessed to building a bomb that killed 18 civilians in a coffee shop. Jack confronts Hammoud asking if he killed "innocent people" to which Hammoud replies that they were not innocent. Jack breaks down and subsequently adopts a more aggressive posture, treating the detainees less kindly than he had prior to Hammoud's confession.
When it is finally time for Jack to go home, he briefs the soldier set to replace him, much like Tanner had briefed him. His replacement takes out a camera and snaps a photo, but Jack tells him to put the camera away. When Jack notices Hammoud has fallen asleep, he drags the prisoner out of the cell and begins yelling at him. Unknown to Jack, the second soldier snaps another picture. After returning home to the US, Jack sees the news coverage of the Abu Graib scandal breaking on live TV, with the pictures snapped of him as he is shopping at a local store with his girlfriend.
Cast
*
Luke Moran as Jack Farmer
*
Sean Astin
Sean Patrick Astin (né Duke; February 25, 1971) is an American actor. His acting roles include Samwise Gamgee in ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003), Mikey Walsh in ''The Goonies'' (1985), Daniel Ruettiger in ''Rudy'' (1993), Doug ...
as Staff Sergeant Tanner
*
Omid Abtahi
Omid Abtahi ( fa, امید ابطحی) is an Iranian-American actor. noorfilmfestival.com Accessed 2016-1-28 He is best known for his roles as Salim in Starz Original '' American Gods'', Doctor Pershing in ''The Mandalorian'' on Disney+, Saleem ...
as Ghazi Hammoud
*
Sara Paxton
Sara Paxton (born April 25, 1988) is an American actress, voice artist, and singer. She began acting at an early age, appearing in minor roles in both films and television shows, before rising to fame in 2004, after playing the title role in the t ...
as Peyton
*
John Heard as Sam Farmer
*
Michael Welch as Eugene "Pits" Fowler
*
Elijah Kelley
Elijah Kelley (born August 1, 1986) is an American actor, singer, and dancer. He appeared in films such as '' 28 Days'' (2000), ''Take the Lead'' (2006), ''Hairspray'' (2007), ''Red Tails'' (2012), ''Lee Daniels' The Butler'' (2013), NBC's live-m ...
as Babatunde "Tunde" Ogundule
*
John Robinson as Ryan Fox
*
Scott Patterson
Scott Gordon Patterson (born September 11, 1958) is an American actor and musician. He is known for his role as Luke Danes in ''Gilmore Girls'' and as Special Agent Peter Strahm in the ''Saw'' films. He also starred as Michael Buchanan in the ...
as Captain Hayes
* Cru Ennis as Shaw
*
Jerry Hernandez
Jerry Kenneth Hernandez (born June 8, 1990) is an American actor and dancer of Puerto Rican and Honduran descent.
Biography
Hernandez is the oldest of two children. Throughout grade school, Hernandez took part in various school musicals and p ...
as Rodeo
*
Kylie Rogers
Kylie Rogers is an American actress, best known for playing the role of Minx Lawrence in ''The Whispers''. She also stars as Anna Beam in '' Miracles from Heaven''. Since 2018, Rogers has a recurring role as the younger version of the main charac ...
as Daughter
Production
Shooting occurred in
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...
at the
Penitentiary of New Mexico
The Penitentiary of New Mexico (PNM) is a men's maximum-security prison located in unincorporated Santa Fe County, south of central Santa Fe, on New Mexico State Road 14. It is operated by the New Mexico Corrections Department.
The complex cons ...
, location of the
New Mexico State Penitentiary riot. One scene was also shot at the now closed Baillios Electronics in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Reception
Some critics criticized the film for not depicting the exact events of the scandal, but fictionalizing a story based on these events, while other appreciated the story and its one-step-at-a-time explanation of how an event like this actually came to pass.
Audience reviews were more positive, most particularly from veterans for its realistic depiction of a soldier's deployment and its lack of a political agenda.
The film won the Audience Award at the
Gasparilla Film Festival
Gasparilla International Film Festival (GIFF, stylized as gịff) is an annual independent film festival that takes place in Tampa Bay, Florida. The festival is run by the Tampa Film Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing film ...
and the War on Screen International Film Festival, the only two film festivals it screened at.
References
External links
*
* {{Rotten Tomatoes, boys_of_abu_ghraib, Boys of Abu Ghraib
THE AISLE SEATFilm Review: Boys of Abu Ghraib
American war drama films
2014 films
Films set in 2003
Films set in 2004
Iraq War films
Torture in films
2010s English-language films
2010s American films