Generation Kill (miniseries)

Production

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 mini-series was shot over a six-month shoot from mid-to-late 2007 in South Africa, Mozambique and Namibia. The primary production value aspired to was authenticity.

Crew

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. A former U.S. Marine, Eric Kocher, served as the production's military advisor, and also starred in the series. Susanna White and Simon Cellan Jones directed the episodes of the series.

Cast and 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. Wright was assigned to the lead vehicle of Bravo Company, which he shared with 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.

Other starring characters, from 2nd platoon include:

Additional characters;

Soundtrack

Although there is no score for the series, it still features a large collection of music. Much of it represents music that was 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".

Critical reception

Generation Kill was nominated for 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning three in 2009 in the miniseries categories. Nominations included Outstanding Miniseries, Outstanding Directing (Susanna White for "Bomb in the Garden"), and Outstanding Writing (David Simon and Ed Burns for "Bomb in the Garden"). It won for Outstanding Special Visual Effects, Outstanding Sound Editing, and Outstanding Sound Mixing.

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". Entertainment Weekly gave the series an "A-" rating, with critic Ken Tucker remarking favorably on its avoidance of cliché, self-consciousness and agenda-driven storytelling; and praising its execution, nuance, and verisimilitude. Robert Bianco of USA Today wrote that "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". Adam Buckman of the New York Post, however, was not as impressed, describing the series "as dull and throbbing as a severe headache".

A red carpet screening of Generation Kill was held for U.S. Marines at Camp Pendleton in California, where the series was favorably received.