56
Metascore
7 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreMilitary myth-making dies hard in Combat Obscura, perhaps the most unfiltered account of American boots on the ground in Afghanistan.
- 75The PlaylistGary GarrisonThe PlaylistGary GarrisonWhile Lagoze’s film may not offer any genuinely new insights, it is an unsettling opportunity to bear witness to the numbing chaos of war.
- 70The New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe New York TimesBen KenigsbergLeaning in to the style its patchwork of source material requires, Combat Obscura, is an eye-opening dispatch from a conflict mired in confusion.
- 67The A.V. ClubLawrence GarciaThe A.V. ClubLawrence GarciaUnsurprisingly, the results aren’t pretty.
- 63Slant MagazineChristopher GraySlant MagazineChristopher GrayThe portrait it paints of its Marines is appropriately discordant, redolent of the twitchy frustration caused by a long stint in a sparse landscape with a hazy mission.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeMore polished docs like "Restrepo" have covered similar ground in less scattered fashion, usually giving more coherent pictures of military operations while they're at it.
- 40Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinDue to the movie’s deliberate lack of narrative arc, thematic stance and clear characterizations (the soldiers feel interchangeable and Logaze’s interview style is weak), we’re never always sure what we’re watching — or why.