Only the Dead (2015) User Reviews

Hard hitting documentary from one journalist's experience in Iraq.

[t-dooley-69-386916 · 8/10 · 14 June 2016]

'Time' magazine reporter Michael Ware was sent to Iraq in 2003 to cover the allies take down of Saddam Hussein. The Americans made short work of getting to Baghdad and toppling the regime. In the power vacuum that was created many factions emerged with differing and often extremist ideologies and soon insurrection became rife.

Ware was keen to see the war from both sides and went out of his way to contact the insurgents. This he was able to do after gaining the trust of a number of players. He was then used to 'promote' videos of their attacks and other deeds. He soon became involved with one of the most brutal of these insurgents - Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi. In this film he chronicles what he did in a linear format which also relates how the conflict grew and developed, this goes on for some seven years.

The footage is often extremely upsetting; showing the aftermath of suicide bombings, torture and beheadings. He has managed to get some very gritty footage and he did put his personal safety on the line on more than one occasion. The question that is left slightly hanging is whether he was abetting their crimes or merely reporting what occurred. He does mention the ethical conflict but some will find it inadequate. However, that is not the point of the film. This is a true account of what one man did in a war that many will say was totally unjustified. I found it upsetting, moving, heart breaking, visceral and sad. This is a film you will not be able to say you 'liked', it is a film that people should see, the true face of war is often air brushed by the media – this is anything but and as such is a film I can recommend.

Oh this is essential viewing, but be prepared for the hard work

[seanlisaau · 9/10 · 26 October 2015]

I Have just returned from seeing this little gem.

This is the most confronting doco I have ever seen. However, every person in what we like to call 'The West' needs to see this film. Every politician who sends our youth to war, every person who denies entry to asylum seekers from war-torn Iraq (and its neighbours), and every person who has an opinion about our 'invasion' of Iraq.

We all know Michael Ware, that crazy Australian CNN reporter who was in the thick of it. I think Michael will excuse my use of 'crazy' because without these men and women who act as correspondents in war, we would never have perspectives not filtered by our governments.

Ware returned from 7 years in Iraq with over 300 hours of tapes from a handicam that he described tonight in person at the screening as his notebook for his writing. This is his 'accidental documentary'.

In this doco we see the fresh-faced Ware in Iraq just before the 2003 invasion. We see him as he becomes the favoured news outlet for the emerging group that would become Islamic State. We see him question himself, how dark the human mind can become and how desensitisation goes hand-in-hand with warfare. We see the fresh- faced young Americans who have been thrust into this warzone as little more that teenagers (and some still are). We see the tragedy for the people of Iraq. Then we see the conclusion that tests our humanity and how we see others. It will shake you.

Take a deep breath, buy a ticket and prepare to never be the same (but I think for the better).

Thanks Michael :)

Best Documentary Movie

[st8627 · 9/10 · 23 February 2017]

Let's keep this simple, if you're squeamish don't watch this. If you're judgemental of people don't watch this.

Using live footage the journalist goes deep into Iraq revealing footage never seen before received directly from Nationalists and then terrorists.

He express the emotions of the soldiers and himself a very do and meaningful way that makes him question himself hence my comments about being judgemental.

Sit down, don't get distracted and be ready

The most confronting film

[matthew-45161 · 10/10 · 25 October 2015]

This is the most confronting and in your face film I have ever seen. Documenting 7 years living in Iraq as a war correspondent for TIME and CNN, Michael (an Aussie) tells an amazing personal story of how he was nearly beheaded, worked to tell both sides of the Iraq war and his personal struggles. I watched a screening where Michael did a Q&A afterward, his insightful, concise and articulate depiction of what he went through, the PTSD, the stories he told and his analysis of Middle East, make this one of the best films. He does the American soldiers justice in this film, it is not a Hollywoodised depiction of the glory of war! This is real war.

Interesting - Tough to watch at times - one of a kind.

[NashedUp · 10/10 · 26 February 2018]

Filled with footage that can only be described as incredible, as a viewer I found myself absolutely glued to the screen from start to finish.

This documentary shows a very raw viewpoint of the Iraq War and gives an insight into the filmaker and his motivations who put himself in such grave danger to acquire footage that is nothing short of remarkable.

One of the more interesting shots near the start of the documentary is narrated by the filmaker who explains this is the first time he captured anything on video, and that over the course of the next few years he would capture hundreds of hours of footage on what he describes as a beat up handycam.

Another notable points is the filmakers decision to show his team on the documentary, crediting the team (most of whom are local people) for their efforts shows that not every citizen of the country is an enemy of the west, something I wish other media covering the war would stress.

There are scenes that are difficult to watch but I am glad they are included, I would say that is one of the strong points of this documentary, as this gives a very authentic feel to the footage.

Okay, if not great documentary.

[dannybeans · 6/10 · 8 April 2016]

It's a little disingenuous to claim that 'Al-Zarqawi' is a star in this documentary as if the creator was his 'go to guy'. I got no particular feeling of this at all, despite claims made during the documentary. I won't go into why, it would ruin the story. Despite these claims, it is a pretty good documentary and worth a watch for the sheer nakedness of the war displayed in all it's horror. Why we have censorship in countries is beyond me. War is war and should never be taken lightly. The age of some of these soldiers is unbelievable and the things and decisions they are exposed to on a daily basis is horrendous that it's really no surprise when they come back and develop PTSD.

Reality from an unbiased lens

[jmswarner · 9/10 · 22 March 2016]

Fantastic story telling by Michael Ware in this gripping doc that portrays the harsh realities of war in a sense that is rarely attempted, let alone achieved. Kudos to the job of capturing the raw emotion from the soldiers' before, during and after conflicts where they are fighting for their lives. They are moments that 95% of the civilian population have never witnessed. The film could of been a tad shorter, as I felt there were a few unnecessary scenes. But overall, the pace and narration were spot on for the most part. This documentary is definitely not meant for the faint of heart, but, if you are interested in REALITY then this film is meant for you.

Honest, courageous attempt by a corporate media journalist

[mr1001nights · 6/10 · 18 April 2016]

One has to give props to Ware for bringing us such gripping images, and for partially sacrificing his own mental health in that pursuit. And also for venturing out a few times to be embedded with Iraqi militant groups. However, he is mostly embedded with US troops and it shows - and the film has problems due to the ideology that is expected from anyone hired at media like CNN & Time. Let's start at the very end, with the image of a man who dies in the hands of US troops and who could have been saved by Ware saying something. He has explained this by saying that 1) he had lost his humanity due to the war 2) He had gotten too immersed in his role as a journalist who simply observes but doesn't get involved in things. While these 2 are to some extent true, there is a third, far more powerful explanation: Ware was simply siding with the US military, not with "the enemy", who was represented by the man dying on the ground. Had the situation been reversed, and some Iraqi fighters with access to medical care had a US soldier in such conditions while Ware was filming, he would have been much more likely to ask for help. Certainly Ware acts very worried about a sergeant gone quiet in Fallujah, pro-actively trying to save him. The more personal and extensive interactions with the US soldiers lead the viewer to identify with the US side. Similarly, we hear that anti-US forces are "barbaric" "slaughterers"; with references to times "they had the advantage" in the battle of Fallujah, while US troops are simply "good men losing their grip" "young kids on an impossible mission", with reference to times when they only had "a third of the troops they needed" . Of course, in reality, it was Iraqi fighters that were in general vastly out-gunned by the US, while the amount of slaughter was mostly perpetrated by the US. During the 1st battle of Fallujah shown in the film (2004) only 27 U.S. troops were killed, while a total of 800 Iraqis died of which 572–616 were civilians and 184–228 were fighters. The Lancet report, which covers roughly the same range of years featured in this movie (2003-2006) estimated 654,965 excess deaths related to the war, through the end of June 2006. 601,027 deaths were due to violence. 31% (186,318) of those were attributed to the US-led Coalition, 24% (144,246) to others, and 46% (276,472) were unknown. The causes of violent deaths were gunshot (56% or 336,575), car bomb (13% or 78,133), other explosion/ordnance (14%), air strike (13% or 78,133), accident (2% or 12,020), and unknown (2%). So the data simply doesn't support Ware's ideological, one-sided use of words like "barbaric" "slaughterers" "terror" etc. And this is even ignoring the context of the US invasion being illegal and unjustified. One wonders how we would have felt about a journalist presenting a similar picture, but embedded with the Soviet troops in the 80s in Afghanistan. Also, the film conveniently oversimplifies the fighters in Fallujah by calling them "Zarqawi's men", when they actually came from several different groups, not just the one led by Zarqawi. A sign outside Fallujah's "Martyr's cemetery" reads: "This cemetery is given by the people of Fallujah to the heroic martyrs of the battle against the Americans, and to the martyrs of the Jihadi operations against the Americans, assigned and approved by the Mujahideen Shura council in Fallujah." The Mujahideen Shura Council featured at least 6 different insurgent groups.

Brilliant film making

[walshj-01468 · 10/10 · 1 December 2018]

This is probably the best documentary I have seen, due to the way the journalist stood side by side with soldiers in serious live combat situations. Some scenes are brutal and Distressing but eye opening. Superb.

A Western take on the Iraq conflict......

[s3276169 · 7/10 · 5 May 2017]

Only the Dead is a Western take on the Iraq conflict.

In spite of attempts to bridge the gap between the US invaders and Iraqi defenders, for me, this remains a Westernised perspective on the Iraq war. Its an interesting one, nonetheless.

What is clear from this documentary is the simple brutality and folly of war. People simply die, there's no pretense or sentiment. Whats especially troubling, is how modern urban warfare leaves no discernible boundary between civilians and military combatants. Everyone is at risk and under suspicion, there is no safe harbour.

This documentary is capably narrated by the Australian journalist who films instances of the Iraq war. He offers personal insights into how war effects him and those around him, including the often youthful US soldiers.

Take a look but be warned some of this is disturbing. Seven out of ten from me.

The reel thing

[videorama-759-859391 · 9/10 · 27 June 2016]

Real life violence is more disturbing than movie violence, that's a fact, as this brave Aussie individual filmmaker/journalist, Ware, takes us, may'be, too close, sometimes, to the ongoing way in Iraq, while this was early times, for that number one, infamous and hunted terrorist. Here, they're after a smaller important party, with a price on his head. This is a stark and grim ride amidst bombs, be headings and some truly scary, and dangerously serious moments, one involving the welfare of our filmmaker, who's made something short of a masterpiece, and a beautifully written V.O doc too by Ware. The film has a nasty air to it, and that's how it should be seen. He's one of the bravest and ballsy filmmakers, I've seen, this side of war. At the end of it, my Dad commented, jokingly or not, "I hope he didn't go back". No joke, that very realization had me in a pith of worry and concern. Probably the best, up close and personal view of this endless nightmarish war you'll ever see. Be warned, some of the violent images, are stark and shocking, and will be heavy on some viewers, one in the second to the final frame of the still breathing enemy, you thought initially was a goner. There are a few stereotypical moments, that has us feeling we're just watching another in the field doco on this war, but I'm no saying that as a criticism. A non issue. For the most part, it's a frank and unsettling journey into the blackest realities of the war, the meaty part of the footage of Ware's trepidation and dangerous exploits, really starting mid way.

Shocking in its content, but sadly not a particularly good documentary outside of this access

[bob the moo · 18 September 2016]

I saw Michael Ware on Real Time before this film came out, and his state made me interested to see this film – since essentially it is a document of his time in Iraq from the start of the GW Bush war, through the rise of the insurgency. The footage that this gives us is not only impacting in terms of what he shot, but also the access he got to footage filmed by the jihadists themselves. It perhaps goes without saying that this film is a brutally hard watch, with a lot of footage which is violent and upsetting in nature.

In this way it is an engaging watch though, because it very much feels like we are in the center of this terrible darkness, and to see the roots of it is to understand the endless cycle with no easy way to break it. Again, it is not pleasant to watch this, but it is engaging in that bleakness. Unfortunately, the film itself is not particularly good. As a documentary it is too focused on Ware, while at the same time not really being focused on him. The narration is heavily used to keep all this footage together, which in and of itself is a problem. This weakness is more noticeable because the narration is not great in its dialogue – it feels forced and overwrought at times; with Ware many steps ahead of the viewer.

Unfortunately this weakness in form and delivery does stay with the film and the viewer, and it prevents it being a good documentary, even if the footage is shocking and engages on that level.

Witness life as it is

[pietclausen · 5/10 · 11 March 2019]

It's always difficult to rate a documentary like this one, because of the theme, death, deceit and terror. We cannot glamorize the facts as they are and it makes no sense trying to say it's good, average or excellent. It is what it is.

For the ordinary viewer, being able to detach him or herself from the horror and wishes to rate it for its information, perhaps a 5 is about right. For those having been in war situations and have witnessed it first-hand themselves, will refuse to watch or rate it, to block out their own memories.

War is bad, very bad and terrible acts do happen.

Fascinating, confronting, gritty documentary

[grantss · 8/10 · 18 April 2016]

Fascinating, confronting, gritty documentary.

A documentary on the Iraq War of 2003 and its aftermath made by Australian journalist Michael Ware. Ware, a journalist with Time magazine, spent seven years in Iraq, from the 2003 invasion onwards. Only The Dead is a video compilation of his experiences in Iraq and, in particular, the rise of Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, the radical terrorist leader. Through becoming acquainted with another insurgent group, Ware was provided with video material from that group as well as Al-Zarqawi's group.

Incredibly powerful footage, certainly not the kind of stuff you see on the news or in war films. Very real and confronting and some of the most accurate captures of war you'll ever see.

The history of Al-Zarqawi is quite interesting too, and Ware's rare, terrorist-provided, footage gives a searing insight into events involving him and life in Iraq at that time. On the negative side, Ware's fascination with Al-Zarqawi does border on reverence at times.

Another negative involves the last few scenes. Here Ware tries to make a philosophical point out of the war and its effects on people, soldiers especially, but misses the mark. His comments on the final scene are quite empty, idealistic and naive. Even more, they smack of him trying to create controversy out of US soldiers simply doing their jobs in a war zone.

That took the shine off what was otherwise an incredible movie.

We Should Have Had this Unflinching View of War From the Start

[leftbanker-1 · 10/10 · 10 April 2016]

I remember sitting in a bar in downtown Seattle on the eve of the American invasion of Iraq when a young couple sitting beside me interrupted my conversation with my friends. They objected to my objection to the coming war. I asked them if they knew the difference between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. Of course, they didn't to which I added, "You will know the difference soon enough." It's so utterly ironic that we Americans are shielded from the true horrors of war by our censorship yet grotesque violence permeates our films and TV shows. I heard so many "warnings" about this documentary, about how "disturbing" the violence it depicts and I wonder what people thought war was at its core. War is about destroying people, literally destroying human beings en masse. The people murdered don't get up after it's all over and go on to do something else, like the extras in an Arnold Schwarzenegger film. Real violence isn't fun or cool like it's made out to be by Quentin Tarantino. War is about destroying lives and those lives destroyed go on to haunt the lives of those left living.

War destroys the ability of people to go on living, as we are seeing now in Syria which is a direct result of the Iraq War. These cities in Syria can't be rebuilt nor can much of those in Iraq that were bombed almost to extinction. Of course, all of this is pretty remote for Americans living on the other side of the world.

Another thing never considered is that for Muslim men violence can serve as a substitute for sex. I saw this in Lebanon in the 1980s. If women and alcohol are proscribed in your culture what outlet do young men have? Now all young men take this route but it is usually the fail-safe path of losers Muslims like we are seeing in Belgium and France. Losers who can't meet women or too cowardly to admit they are homosexual are turning to suicide bombings as a form of redemption.

The sensory vs the reality

[buckeyeforlife · 10/10 · 9 June 2016]

This documentary shows both sides in an equal sense. You understand why Americans see the war in Iraq as a failure while you witness why the opposition saw the United States as a force of destruction. You see heinous acts performed by both sides and you are forced to view war, in general, as a last resort. It forces you to acknowledge that war has prisoners on both sides.... It makes you see that the beautiful war movies about Vietnam, WWI and even WWII don't even touch on the ultimate truth of war. Saving Private Ryan is child's play compared to this documentary. You see the worst in humanity. This documentary forces one to face to reality and that in itself should be celebrated if only reality wasn't so dark.

Is he showing us something or is up to something else?

[chick189 · 8/10 · 15 December 2018]

So. A very interesting watch and definitely a better job than most journalists. But I have a small issue with some of his voice overs. It does sound like he is just trying to put himself in the same catagory as the soldiers. Like he was fighting in the war. As someone who hasn't been to war but know plenty who have. I am not sure how veterans would take to his claims of what hes done. He refers to US troops as "The Americans" during the first part. Then when he attaches himself with this military it's all "we".

Dont let that put you off watching it. It is very interesting.

Fantastic Movie

[imnorangabro · 10/10 · 1 June 2016]

To understand war, we have to experience it as a soldier. Michael Ware is that soldier, and we join him every step of the way. Whilist this movie is gory and bloody (real corpses and stuff) and quite possibly the most disturbing movie I've seen, it really captures the essence of war. Months ago, you would have found me making Jihad and Muslim jokes (not to be offensive; I respect their religion and understand it's all about peace), now, I feel bad for making those jokes; I never understood terrorists in general or what they were capable of, until I saw this movie. If you want to understand war yourself, you have to first put yourself in the eyes of a soldier and their shoes. This movie does just that.

War from another angle

[freepro · 7 May 2016]

It starts as something we have already seen from Iraq. One side shoots, another shoots back, people die. This time you don't get to view this from a comfortable distance. This time you see the dirty side of the war. Although the insurgents are bad guys here, they are still human beings. Yes, sure, it's the war and the rule of the game is shoot to kill. But when the shooting stops you expect people to revert back to normal. What you will witness is a lack of empathy for another human being. And that's the most scary part of the documentary. The insurgent dies because of the brain injury, but the living soldiers will have to live with it for the rest of their lives, unless they have brain injuries themselves(no pun intended). That's something for the whole humanity to observe and learn.

extremely aggravating self hatred and introspection (constant) by sad sack Michael Ware.

[youtubemegafan · 1/10 · 4 April 2016]

I watched this on hbo at a hotel yesterday (would never give a penny to hbo). First the positive: the footage of Our Shooters is excellent, I credit Ware for just getting it, for showing up.

He/they was/were constantly pointing the camera at soldiers faces, even when bullets were flying, and then edited in the sorriest, most depressing music one can possibly imagine. The singular most aggravating part of the film, I just have to go straight to it: the scenes were some little Sunni monster was running, bolting through the desert rat ghetto with an AK and 2 spare mags in his black pajama bottoms (like Vietnam redux) trying to maneuver, encircle, murder Our Men. They eventually located him w/ a head wound in the weeds. Dragged him to a safe location. Here, Ware agonized over his own low EQ (emotional quotient) and wondered aloud if he was generally a very bad man, or if our soldiers were extremely naughty, namely for not rendering "the medical aid they were required to perform" on a brain dead terrorist that just tried to kill them, whose brains were leaking out of it's skull. Ware literally sat there in silence, recording every second it took the terrorist to expire, with a few pans to the soldiers when they said something which was generally hoping it would expire so it wouldn't live another day to kill again. Meanwhile Ware is stroking out over the reality taking place, that is every war, as if to have a nervous breakdown. Allowing these liberal scumbags to film our shooters was the worst decision the military ever made. It wasn't the first, and probably won't be the last the way things are going. Ware made the going maddening, but I couldn't take my eyes off it for a second... There were many similar documentaries to this, with the same style..I remember one with the photojournalist actually asking an emotionally perplexed soldier how he felt about what he was doing, with pregnant pauses by photog to make soldier feel as uncomfortable as possible- that soldier later overdosed. He was from Vancouver, WA. I believe that journalist was a key factor in this soldier's suicide: he exacerbated soldier's PTSD which you could see in the documentary. Why don't these "journalists" just preface all of them with "disturbing new documentary", we know what's coming...nothing positive in their minds.

The best documentary I will never recommend to anyone

[thekevin124 · 8/10 · 28 February 2020]

Too much gruesome, horrible footage to safely recommend to anyone. But very interesting.