I think my favorite part of Boys of Abu Ghraib is when the CO (Scott Gordon-Patterson) addresses the mission to his troops at the soon-to-be-infamous prison compound and boldly predicts that people will “remember what happened here.” He thinks he’s talking about the intelligence information that presumably will be collected among the Iraqi prisoners, not the actual fiasco (the revelation of ugly torture that went on in the prison) that will prove him correct. I don’t know if there’s any historical truth to the moment, but it’s a great speech, huh? Akin with Donald Rumsfeld’s war parade cheerleading and George Tenet‘s laughable “slam dunk” remark, it shows, in no uncertain terms, the huge gap between what we presumed about invading Iraq and, good gravy, anything that actually went on.
You know when you see “Abu Ghraib” in the title, you’re probably not leaving the theater with a smile. I see that particular locale as a mecca for atrocity. It was Saddam Hussein’s favorite prison before U.S.-Iraq II: Electric Boogaloo, and then it became the focal point for the worst of the GI bullying that went on. And, believe me, GI bullying is a very kind way of describing how American soldiers treated Iraqi prisoners. If it continues to exist as a prison, it will continue to reduce human dignity to pond scum.
The movie tale is as old as time itself – a kid goes to war, volunteers MP duty at the jail, and ends up stuffing prisoners face-first into buckets of feces. Why I remember when grandpa used to tell this tale at sleepovers. Luke Moran wrote, directed, and starred as the kid whose innocence will be raped, electrocuted, sleep-deprived and humbled before his personal God. It’s a bold choice. Sergeant Jack Farmer (Moran) and his buddies are assigned to Abu Ghraib. They’re told of the danger involved, but aside from a shocking and kind of mysterious bomb-related death within hours of arrival, the days are loooooong. Nothing happens and nothing is going to happen. Out of boredom, Farmer volunteers for prison MP duty. “Do I need special training?” No. Within seconds, he finds out why – Samwise Gamgee has been torturing the sparse population out of hatred, insecurity and entertainment.
Pretty obvious that Luke has seen The Godfather, cuz you can see the wheels turning in his head, “that’s not me. That’s not me. I will follow protocol, but I will treat fellow humans with respect no matter what they’ve done.” 
Samwise sees any sympathetic or humane behavior as weakness, dangerous weakness. These guys aren’t to be fooled with. Is he going too far when he plunges a newbie’s head into his own pool of urine? It’s a good bet that Farmer thinks so, even if he’s afraid to say anything about it.
The biggest problem with the prisoner-babysitter situation is not necessarily the lack of training, but lack of manpower. One person … one insecure, unstable, cruel or emotional person can make very bad judgments. With two it’s harder; both have to agree that the outrageous behavior is justified. Left on his own and against Sam’s suggestions and his own better judgment, Farmer befriends a London-educated prisoner, Ghazi (Omid Abtahi). This friendship becomes the crux of the movie.
It’s not easy to interpret exactly what Moran is saying with this film. The film seems personal and yet the action seems bent on a round table dialogue: Does Moran believe that kindness is indeed weakness? Does he believe that war allows for special rules? Is he trying to tell us that war crimes are justified or should be at least seen within context? Perhaps he’s just echoing General Sherman’s “war is all Hell.” Boys of Abu Ghraib isn’t a bad film, but the discussion is, unfortunately, better.
Torture is the dominant theme
A few souls forbidden to redeem
Stripping them nude
And stacking them crude
A most repugnant pyramid scheme
Rated R, 102 Minutes
D: Luke Moran
W: Luke Moran
Genre: Senior Thesis for B.A. in War Crimes
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: U.S. soldiers
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: Iraqis
