| Genre: | War drama |
| Runtime: | 63–69 minutes |
| Producer: | Andrea Calderwood |
| Cinematography: | Ivan Strasburg |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | $56 million[1] |
| Network: | HBO |
| Num Episodes: | 7 |
Generation Kill is an American seven-part television miniseries produced for HBO that aired from July 13 to August 24, 2008. It is based on Evan Wright's 2004 book Generation Kill, about his experience as an embedded reporter with the US Marine Corps' 1st Reconnaissance Battalion during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and was adapted for television by David Simon, Ed Burns, and Wright.[2] The miniseries was directed by Susanna White and Simon Cellan Jones and produced by Andrea Calderwood. The ensemble cast includes Alexander Skarsgård as Sergeant Brad "Iceman" Colbert, Jon Huertas as Sergeant Tony "Poke" Espera, James Ransone as Corporal Josh Ray Person, and Lee Tergesen as Wright.
The cable channel HBO gave the go-ahead to a seven-part miniseries based on Evan Wright's book about his experiences as an embedded reporter with the U.S. Marine Corps' 1st Reconnaissance Battalion during the Iraq War's first phase. The series is set during the invasion of Iraq, from late March to early April 2003. The miniseries was shot over a six-month shoot from mid-to-late 2007 in South Africa, Mozambique, and Namibia.[3] [4] The miniseries was produced on a budget of $56 million, with an emphasis on the realism of the production design.[5] [6] [7]
David Simon and Ed Burns co-wrote and executive produced the miniseries alongside Company Pictures' George Faber and Charles Pattinson, and HBO's Anne Thomopoulos. Andrea Calderwood was the producer; Nina Noble served as co-executive producer; author Evan Wright was credited as a consulting producer; Susanna White and Simon Cellan Jones directed the episodes; and two former U.S. Marines, Eric Kocher and Rudy Reyes, served as the production's military advisors as well as starred in the series.[8]
See main article: List of Generation Kill characters. There are 28 starring cast members with a large supporting cast. The majority of the characters were drawn from the Second Platoon of the First Reconnaissance Battalion's Bravo Company. Lee Tergesen played embedded reporter Evan Wright, though throughout the series he is only referred to as "reporter" or "Rolling Stone". Wright was assigned to the lead vehicle of Bravo Company, which he shared with Staff Sergeant Brad "Iceman" Colbert, played by Alexander Skarsgård, Corporal Josh Ray Person, played by James Ransone and Lance Corporal Harold James Trombley, played by Billy Lush. To prepare for their roles as Recon Marines, the cast attended a six-day boot camp led by Eric Kocher and Rudy Reyes.[9]
Other starring characters, from 2nd platoon include:
Additional characters:
Although the series has no score, it features a large collection of music, much of it songs that were popular among the American populace in late 2002 and early 2003. The newer music (in the show's context) serves to illustrate pop culture during the time of the invasion. All of the songs are sung a cappella by cast members, with the exception of Johnny Cash's "The Man Comes Around" and Josh Ray Person's "Re-Up Time".
"Merry Christmas from the Family", by Robert Earl Keen
"Sk8er Boi", by Avril Lavigne
"Lovin' You", by Minnie Riperton
"Use Me", by Bill Withers
"Beyoğlu", by D.J. Kambo
"The Marines' Hymn", Traditional
"Smoke Signals", by Dada Flair
"Complicated", by Avril Lavigne
"Bodies", by Drowning Pool
"Boyz-n-the-Hood", by Dynamite Hack
"Hot in Herre", by Nelly
"Hot in Herre", by Nelly
"It Was a Good Day", by Ice Cube
"Tainted Love", by Ed Cobb
"The "Fish" Cheer/I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag", by Country Joe and the Fish
"Attahaddiat", by Kadhum Al Sahir
"Entaha Almeshwar", by Kadhum Al Sahir
"Copenhagen Song", by Josh Ray Person
"Teenage Dirtbag", by Wheatus
"On the Road Again", by Willie Nelson
"Sundown", by Gordon Lightfoot
"My Cherie Amour", by Stevie Wonder
"Gangsta Gangsta", by N.W.A
"It Ain't Easy", by Tupac Shakur
"Let Me Ride", by Dr. Dre
"Fuck tha Police", by N.W.A
"Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys", by Ed Bruce
"Can I Kick It?", by A Tribe Called Quest
"So Fresh, So Clean", by Outkast
"9 to 5 (Morning Train)", by Sheena Easton
"Come Sail Away", by Styx
"King of the Road", by Roger Miller
"Re-Up Time", by Josh Ray Person
"The Man Comes Around", by Johnny Cash
The miniseries received very positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, it received a score of 80 out of 100 based on 27 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10] On Rotten Tomatoes, the miniseries has an approval rating of 86% based on 42 reviews, with an average rating of 9.1/10. The critical consensus reads, "Generation Kill plunges the viewer into war with a visceral force that's still somehow reined in by masterful storytelling and a strong command of period details."[11] A red carpet screening of Generation Kill was held for U.S. Marines at Camp Pendleton in California, where the series was favorably received.[6]
Entertainment Weekly gave the series an "A−" rating, and critic Ken Tucker remarked favorably on its avoidance of cliché, self-consciousness, and agenda-driven storytelling, and praised its execution, nuance, and verisimilitude.[12] Robert Bianco of USA Today wrote: "the seven-part Generation Kill is what you'd hope for from the people behind The Wire: an honest, barely adorned, sometimes painfully vivid representation of life as we live it now. It's journalism converted to art, with both benefiting".[13] Nev Pierce of Empire gave the miniseries a perfect five out of five stars.[14] Brian Lowry of Variety says "HBO nails the target with Generation Kill".[15] Tim Goodman of SFGate praised the series' authenticity and attention to detail.[16] Writing for The New York Times, Alessandra Stanley remarked "Generation Kill has a superb cast and script, provides a searingly intense, clear-eyed look at the first stage of the war, and it is often gripping".[17] Noel Murray of The A.V. Club wrote: "By the time Generation Kills final chapter ends, Wright and company have created not just a nuanced, necessary explication of recent events, but an epic that can stand alongside the greatest long-form movies ever made".[18] Pattie Pegler of Stuff said, "This is a complex, unwieldy tale that draws you in and isn't afraid to take its time. And, in that way it reminds me of The Wire – a brilliant piece of television that left you thinking long after you switched off. Generation Kill promises to be equally unforgettable."[19]
Conversely, Austin Smith of the New York Post was not as impressed. He described the series "as dull and throbbing as a severe headache".[20] Similarly, Troy Patterson of Slate wrote: "Generation Kill is too skeptical about authority to entertain neocons or red-meat nationalists and too depressing to delight a good liberal. It plays like it's been built for antisocial boys—armchair heroes in love with guns and in search of demented adventure."[21]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gracie Awards | Outstanding Director – Entertainment Series or Special | Susanna White | [22] | |||
| Artios Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Television Mini Series | Alexa L. Fogel | [23] | |||
| Cinema Audio Society Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movies and Miniseries | Danny Hambrook, Stuart Hilliker, and Alexandros Sidiropoulos | [24] | |||
| Golden Reel Awards | Best Sound Editing – Long Form Dialogue and ADR in Television | Barry Donnelly, Stefan Henrix, Becki Ponting, Will Ralston, and Iain Eyre | [25] | |||
| Best Sound Editing - Long Form Sound Effects and Foley in Television | Stefan Henrix, Andy Kennedy, David Evans, Graham Headicar, Lee Walpole, Jack Whittaker, Virginia Thorn, Andrea King, and Jack Stew | |||||
| Imagen Awards | Best Supporting Actor/Television | Rudy Reyes | ||||
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Miniseries | David Simon, Ed Burns, George Faber, Nina Kostroff Noble, and Andrea Calderwood | [26] | |||
| Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special | Susanna White | |||||
| Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special | David Simon and Ed Burns | |||||
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie | Rob Harris, Mickey Lennon, and Emelia Weavind | ||||
| Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or Special | Alexa L. Fogel, Christa Schamberger, Suzanne Crowley, and Gilly Poole | |||||
| Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie | Ivan Strasburg | |||||
| Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or Movie | Jason Krasucki | |||||
| Oral Norrie Ottey | ||||||
| Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special | Lee Walpole, Stefan Henrix, Graham Headicar, Jack Whittaker, Becki Ponting, Jennifer Ralston, Iain Eyre, Andre Schmidt, Virginia Thorn, Andy Kennedy, Pete Burgis, and Andi Derrick | |||||
| Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or Movie | Colin Nicolson, Paul Hamblin, and Martin Jensen | |||||
| Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special | Adam McInnes, Courtney Vanderslice-Law, Antony Bluff, Paul Edwards, Ken Dailey, Stephane Paris, David Sewell, Stuart Partridge, and Jean-Paul Rovela | |||||
| Television Critics Association Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials | [27] | ||||
| Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Miniseries, Movie, or Special | Adam McInnes, Anthony Bluff, Stephane Paris, and David Sewell | [28] | |||
| Outstanding Matte Paintings in a Broadcast Program or Commercial | Christian Irles and Yannick Bourgie | |||||
| Writers Guild of America Awards | Long Form – Adaptation | David Simon and Ed Burns ; Based on the book by Evan Wright | [29] | |||
| Royal Television Society Awards | International Award | [30] | ||||