The Mark of Cain (2007)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Marc Munden

Writer:

Tony Marchant (writer)

Release Date:

25 November 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Uses detailed research and explosive new testimonies by soldiers who have served in Iraq to tell an emotional fictional story of two young men very much out of their depth.

Plot Keywords:

Iraq | Moral Corruption | Racism | Blasphemy | Male Full Frontal Nudity

Awards:

6 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Gerard Kearns	...	Mark 'Treacle' Tate
Matthew McNulty	...	Shane Gulliver
Naomi Bentley	...	Shelley
Elliot Cowan	...	Captain Worriss
Brendan Coyle	...	Davey Gulliver
Heather Craney	...	Brenda Tate
Shaun Dingwall	...	Major Godber
Shaun Dooley	...	Corporal Gant
Leo Gregory	...	Lance Corporal Quealey
Alistair Petrie	...	Major Rod Gilchrist
Pip Torrens	...	Colonel Hampton
Roger Barclay	...	Adjutant
Matthew Gravelle	...	Chaplain
Kevin Knapman	...	Pvt Soldier 1
Simon Naylor	...	Pvt Soldier 2

MPAA:

Rated R for violent and disturbing content including torture, pervasive language and some nudity.

Runtime:

87 min | Netherlands:90 min (International Film Festival Rotterdam)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Australia:MA (2007) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bolton School, Bolton, Lancashire, England, UK

Company:

Red Production Company

Goofs:

Continuity: When Gulliver and Tate are outside, before they go to beat the prisoners, the scene changes from morning to the middle of the night, after watching the other soldiers walk towards the cells and cut back to them talking.

Vivid, distateful and unsettling, but representative?

This isn't a war film per se, but rather a film about the conflict between loyalty and morality. The question is where do you draw the line between loyalty to the regiment and the morality of your actions? This film is powerful stuff but I can't help but feel that this film is somehow unrepresentative of the British Army in Iraq. I have to say that it has left a rather foul taste in my mouth, but this may well be down to my refusal to think about the examples of brutality in custody that have taken place rather than the film's depiction of those crimes. So in regards to the effectiveness of the film at portraying its subject the film is most effective. The acting is strong throughout as is the cinematography and the sparse soundtrack. I won't watch it again as I have nothing further to gain from it. I think, in retrospect that it is still too recent an event to gain any further wisdom from. Although it is not 'based on true events' there have been instances of abuse that have culminated in criminal cases. But would we gain anything from watching a feature film about the abuses at Abu Grahib only three years after the events?