War Stories (2003) (TV)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Robert Singer

Writer (WGA):

Peter Noah (written by)

Release Date:

31 August 2004 (Hungary)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Cast

Jeff Goldblum	...	Ben Dansmore
Lake Bell	...	Nora Stone
Louise Lombard	...	Gayle Phelan
Jeffrey Nordling	...	Ian Rhys
Noam Jenkins	...	Rainy Tamarov
Jack Dimich	...	Uzbeky Commander
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yousuf Azami	...	Guard
Ed Begley Jr.	...	Ed O'Brian
Keith Birkfeld	...	Taliban Recruit
Jason Brooks	...	Mike Skrumbis
Michael Reilly Burke	...	Coulter
Christina Chang	...	Camera Woman
Anand Chulani	...	IMU rapper
Alanna Dergan	...	Young girl
Homie Doroodian	...	Guerilla fighter
Ron Griffith	...	Taliban Guard (interviewed)
Nicholas Guilak	...	IMU Soldier
Mark Harelik
Marty Hrejsa	...	Uzbek Clerk
Ramsey Malouky	...	Uzbek Official
Patrick Roman Miller	...	Al Haddad
Navid Negahban	...	Al Qaeda Rebel at Bridge
Tony Sears	...	French Traveler (as Anthony Sears)
Richard Steinmetz	...	Andrew Thorne
Eric St. John
Antonina Thompson	...	Uzbek young mother
Ines Wurth	...	Burka Woman

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence and sexuality.

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

What happened?

When I saw this pilot episode of what was supposed to be a TV series, I was quite excited about it. The story was daring and original, considering the usual high-tech kitsch that usually air on broadcast TV ("24", "CSI" and the likes). This show felt different - in a way it felt real, like it had meat on its bones. It was more than just stories of people and the outlandish things that happen to them - it dealt with ideas and got one thinking. War Stories talked about the grittiest, truest and maybe noblest side of journalism: war correspondents. This was a show that seemed to chose story lines mirroring reality, even if that reality felt a bit uncomfortable to acknowledge. Finally, I thought, a series that tries to be more than pointless thrills and suspense. The series was even mentioned by Newsweek magazine for its originality and provocative subject. Unfortunately, by next week the show was cancelled. I guess, since the show was too daring and didn't fit a regular "format", the sponsors threw their weight around, and instead of more episodes of War Stories we got more mind-numbing sitcoms, reality shows, and cheesy thrillers. God forbid we see something controversial that expresses a different point of view, or gets us thinking. Still, I am hoping the producers haven't given up on this one yet...