At this point in all our Middle Eastern conflicts, we need more from a documentary than just a grunts-eye-view of the frustrating nature of the war. full review

A look at both the tragic folly of war and the camaraderie of men under pressure, the documentary Restrepo holds both hope and horror. full review

In hewing closely to the rhythms of war, Junger and Hetherington forgo different considerations about war. full review

The reaction of a soldier to the death of another - unvarnished, disbelieving grief so raw it's difficult to watch - is among the most moving footage of war and its cost imaginable. full review

After the recent avalanche of pundit-filled advocacy documentaries about health care, failing schools and environmental collapse, it's a bracing experience to be trusted to think for oneself. full review

By keeping the focus solely upon the outpost and the soldiers who lived and fought there, the co-directors effectively seal the film off from any external influence. full review

Though Hetherington and Junger's film doesn't ultimately have anything new to say about the nature of war, it will nonetheless have a strong impact on those of us fortunate enough to have experienced combat only in its motion-picture form. full review

A riveting, you-are-there, deployment to a godforsaken place where United States troops are pinned down by enemy fire almost every day... full review

The filmmakers call Restrepo an experimental film; and in this case, the experiment wasn't entirely successful, but it was definitely worth making. full review

In their just-the-facts approach, the filmmakers neither pass judgment on the platoon's mission nor comment on U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. In the filmmakers' eyes, the men came, they saw, they didn't conquer; they do reflect. full review

It's an essential record not only of the Afghanistan conflict but of men in battle full review

This is hard, hard duty. A 15-month tour. Our admiration for these men grows. Their jobs seem beyond conceiving. I cannot imagine a civilian thinking he could perform them. full review

It's the best thing I've seen in a long time. full review

Places audiences into the same groggy but frazzled rhythm as its combatants. full review

What we see is explosive, deeply moving and impossible to shake. full review

Has the spare, lyrical force of an elegy.

A gut-wrenching, politically neutral documentary that spends more than a year with a platoon of American GIs in a valley that's been called the most dangerous spot on Earth. full review

This movie will stir your heart and open your mind. It's a group portrait of practicing patriots. full review

Just how close the filmmakers were to the action, and the risks they took with the project, filter into virtually every scene. We hear the bullets whizzing past, breaking branches in nearby trees. full review

A documentary so real and unflinching (and at times deeply frightening) that it's hard to watch, but it is one of those film experiences that you'll feel glad about getting through. full review