(2)'Armadillo': Danish forces in Helmand
A clip from the documentary "Armadillo" by filmmaker Janus Metz shows an engagement between Danish soldiers and Taliban fighters near Gereshk, Afghanistan in 2009 (the subtitle at the start of the clip mistakenly identifies the location as Iraq).
The film won the Critics' Week Grand Prix at the Cannes film festival in 2010 and caused controversy in Denmark, prompting an inquiry into possible violation of the rules of engagement (the soldiers were acquitted of any wrongdoing).
READER COMMENTS: "'Armadillo': Danish forces in Helmand "
Posted by destab at July 31, 2011 6:48 AM ET:
Pity the Tailban is not able to comply to any rules of engagement or respect the civilan occupants they aspire to rule over. Great footage of a chaotic firefight bought under control by professional soldiers.
Great movie especially when the wounded NCO returns to his unit. Good on the Danes!!
Posted by 13times at August 1, 2011 12:20 PM ET:
I watched the complete series on youtube.
There are a numerous references to Vietnam and the film Platoon:
Part 5 ends with an homage to the Oliver Stone film Platoon -> refuse burning in the foreground with a time lapse sequence of the sun setting in the background/~500mm lens.
The film Platoon shows Chris Taylor smoking a joint while refuse burns and the sun sets . this film jump-cuts to Danes watching porn or playing violent video games.
Scar-faced Barnes is the platoon leader in the film Platoon.
Scar-faced Dane Rasmus - commander of the Danish troops - shown recuperating in a danish hospital.
Danish soldier mentions 'Nam while on patrol.
Danish soldier paraphrase "I'm sick of this shit, they are laughing at us.
In the film Platoon, Chris flips out after discovering a retarded boy hiding in a spider-hole, he fires his weapon and screams he hates these people and then Bunny replies " look at the gook, he's laughing at us!" Bunny then murders the retarded boy by bashing his brains in with the butt of a rifle.
Bunny in the film Platoon shoots a pig.
Danish soldiers kill a cow. (not shown but a major theme)
Danish soldier declares that he is a Christian.
In the film Platoon, Elias bears a cross, and is depicted as a Christ-like figure.
Aerial door gunner film sequence over what appears to be rice patties. (Not rice patties but thats the filmmakers intent).
Helicopter evac sequence rendered "grainy style" using digital software and mirrors the "church" sequence in Platoon, at one point it even seems like the producers wanted to fade into the famous Chris soliloquy with Adagio in Strings playing in the background.
Drone surveillance shows Jihadists prepping a mortar site inside a bomb crater followed by a missile strike destroying the mortar team - then a montage of Danish soldiers and officers follows - Mads pumping iron, Kim cleaning his weapon and a tight shot of officers smoking cigarettes while sitting in a brightly lit command post.
I guess this portion of the film is meant to convey the humdrum life of a soldier while our technology heartlessly murders the enemy.
Summary:
Leftist agitprop. The Danish soldiers get punked and I for one don't appreciate it.