The Road To Guantanamo on DVD (2005)

Stewart Jordan from Essex , 15/03/2006

Well shot and the abuses suffered at the hands of the Americans will not surprise most inteligent people, but I can't feel much sympathy for the misguided fools that went to Afghanistan with the full intention 'to help' their muslim brothers, even though they apparently didn't actually get the chance to do anything before capture. Would they have taken arms against the Allies? Who knows? My feeling is that they would have run away when they realised the full horror of the reality of war, as opposed to supporting as misguided ideology

  18 out of 24 people found this review helpful

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andylondon from London , 14/07/2006

Even with the British media's fairly well-rounded news coverage (well, compared to the US, anyway), this is a view of war we don't normally, if ever, get to see. Despite what other reviewers have said, the story does hold up mostly. While we're here, I might as well answer a few of the critisms made in other reviews, as those people seem to have failed to pay attention to the film themselves: - They didn't go into a warzone. They state quite clearly that they didn't think Afghanistan was going to be attacked when they left Pakistan. It became a warzone when they got there. - They hadn't been on the CIA watch list for 'a few years'. They weren't on it at all, in fact. - They weren't friends with Abu Hamza. - The film doesn't suggest the Taliban are saints. - Yes, two of them did confess but this was under prolonged torture and it was proved that what they confessed to was false. Pay attention next time. Perhaps there are holes in their story. Perhaps they made it up. What the critics of Road To Guantanamo seem to ignore/forget is that the reporting on the other side of the fence has been fairly well full of holes and lies too. And let's not forget that even if you strip away the story about these guys from Birmingham, there's still a huge question mark over the treatment of people in Camp X-ray and whether it's legal or not.

  16 out of 16 people found this review helpful

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A customer from Cambridge, England , 23/03/2006

An interesting insight into life as a modern day PoW - but the frustrating part is what we're not told.

It is never adequately explained why the young men from Birmingham go to Afghanistan. They claim total innocence but does anyone really go into a war zone for a spot of sightseeing? And if you do, then as soon as you notice bombs exploding in the distance wouldn't any normal person turn tail and get back to Pakistan as fast as possible? Yet these men carry on with their long and perilous journey into Kabul - is that the action of innocent tourists?

We're expected to believe that the lads are subjected to abuse at the hands of the Americans and I have no doubt that PoW's in Guantanamo are subjected to mental and physical hardships - but lets have reality on both sides please.

  13 out of 22 people found this review helpful

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maxwurr from Middlesex [Highly rated reviewer] , 23/10/2006

The documentary style intercut with real news footage makes it easy to forget that this is a partial account by a director with a well-known political agenda. Few would believe that the US has conducted itself with total propriety either in Afghanistan or at Camps X-ray and Delta, but it is simply impossible to decide from this film whether the protagonists are 100% innocent or not, regardless of the brutality. In the end, despite the carefully constructed 'they're just honest boys' image, I couldn't help wondering what kind of idiot would have gone to Afghanisan ONE MONTH after the 9/11 attacks purely on the strength of a few big naans and 'wanting to help'. As I remember it, we all knew that Bush was about to unleash his (misguided) wrath on the country - could these boys really have thought there wouldn't be any trouble? Controversial viewing, well made, but ensure you have a large pinch of salt in your popcorn.

  9 out of 11 people found this review helpful

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A customer from Dorset , 22/08/2006

This movie really shocked me. Its amazing that some people who live on this earth are so cruel and have no respect for anyone. The american are the dogs, I don't care if they say this is war and its what they have to do to catch the evil ones. First of all they are the ones who have no brains. If they checked the records they would have seen that these people were working at the time, in London. Please wake up. But I must say it was a silly thing for youngest to go out in that war zone and get caught up like that. The movie is excellent and should not be missed. It has put me off the American, but then I have heard they have big mouths and are loud. Shame.

  5 out of 7 people found this review helpful

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A customer from Birmingham, England , 30/10/2007

Isnt it strange how they always seemed to find themselves in the heart of the fighting and dissent without even trying. Sorry this film is not for me and wouldnt recommend this to anyone.

  2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

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