Armadillo (2010)

92% of critics liked it
(50 reviews)
81% of users liked it
(3,081 ratings)

ARMADILLO is an astute exploration of the culture of war. Director Janus Metz follows Danish soldiers fighting the Taliban in the Helmand province of southern Afghanistan with sophisticated visual artistry rarely achieved under such raw conditions. Building his film around the characters within the… More ARMADILLO is an astute exploration of the culture of war. Director Janus Metz follows Danish soldiers fighting the Taliban in the Helmand province of southern Afghanistan with sophisticated visual artistry rarely achieved under such raw conditions. Building his film around the characters within the platoon, Metz allows us to witness how war transforms the different personalities, and the group, approaching his subjects with an intimacy equal to that of fiction. The active military base "Armadillo" houses a mix of 170 Danish and British soldiers in the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) who are responsible for providing security to the surrounding area and eliminating the Taliban insurgency. Metz follows his subjects through an entire tour of duty, creating an unforgettable portrait of the reality of military life on the front lines. Documenting both the boredom and horror of warfare, Metz shows us the soldiers playing video games and laughing at pornography, struggling to communicate with disillusioned civilians, and killing a group of Taliban soldiers found hiding in a trench. The film avoids judgments for or against the war, and instead shows the soldiers struggling to maintain their humanity in a world filled with violence.-- (c) New Yorker

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed By: Janus Metz Pedersen
Genres: Documentary, Special Interest

In Theaters: Apr 15, 2011 Limited
On DVD: Oct 18, 2011
Studio: New Yorker

Critic Reviews

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star
Lets the soldiers tell their stories by the way they live day-to-day during their tour of duty.
Ray Bennett, Hollywood Reporter
When the bombs go off and the bullets start flying, Metz and his cameraman provide a real-life vision of what a hurt locker is really all about.
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
It's alluring to watch.
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News
The movie's strength and audacity comes from the Danish soldiers, who confront civilians with wariness or bluntness, exalt in their victories and hesitantly exhibit fear in each others' company.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
There's little new in "Armadillo."
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
A mesmerizing, beautiful and terrifying documentary that can stand among the greatest war movies ever made.
Christopher Campbell, Movies.com
One of the best war films in years.
Liz Braun, Jam! Movies
Beautifully (and scarily) filmed and deeply moving.
Norman Wilner, NOW Toronto
Armadillo shows us things we haven't seen before.
Simon Foster, sbs.com.au
Aficionados of the first-person format will be salivating over the footage captured by Metz and his cinematographer Lars Skree.
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews
Armadillo is a harsh, honest document about men at war - any war.
Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews
...a mostly new twist to consider the Allies who support the U.S. effort - if it is heartbreaking for American families to send their youth to war in Iraq and Afghanistan, imagine how it must feel for the Danes.
Ron Wilkinson, Monsters and Critics
A must-see for those not afraid of seeing and hearing a true statement of the horrors of war.
Marty Mapes, Movie Habit
War doc sets itself apart with skilled storytelling
Shawn Levy, Oregonian
Metz captures and weaves together striking images with great craft. The actual hell of an actual war has never been so beautifully rendered.
Sean Gandert, Paste Magazine
You may be sick of war films about Afghanistan by now, but Armadillo's boldly objective take on the situation shouldn't be missed.
Alistair Harkness, Scotsman
The film doesn't sit in judgment, but it does broaden our understanding of what's happening behind enemy lines - and behind the headlines.
Vadim Rizov, Boxoffice Magazine
Armadillo alternates between scenes of tedium on base and wildly dangerous raids, with the inadvertent effect that viewers get hungry for a little combat to alleviate the monotony.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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c0up

'Armadillo'. An alarming, eye opening look into a Danish platoon in Afghanistan, leaving me extremely conflicted about the motivations of soldiers.
Lorenzo v

"For you its a movie, for them its a reality" Documentary filmmaker Janus Metz and cameraman Lars Skree spent six months following the lives of young soldiers situated less than a kilometer away from Taliban positions. <center>"For you its a movie, for them its a reality" Documentary filmmaker Janus Metz and cameraman Lars Skree spent six months following the lives of young soldiers situated less than a kilometer away from Taliban positions. <center>REVIEW</center> As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have dragged on they have produced an increasing number of provocative war documentaries that have shattered many of the myths about the black-and-white absolutes of war that have often been sold to those on the home front. Armadillo is one of the best films yet produced about the reality of life during a war. The film follows a Danish unit assigned to Helmand Provence in Afghanistan during a 6 months tour. The filmmakers hold nothing back in this intimate portrait of soldiers at war. They present a picture of young men who seem to lose their humanity in the brutal circumstances of war. The visceral picture of combat is harrowing and the filmmakers should be commended for what they have captured on film. A film like Armadillo makes us ask ourselves if this war is worth the human cost that we are paying and what it is doing to the soldiers that we are sending to fight these wars. The film has caused considerable controversy in Denmark.
Mike S

Personal, intimate and very gripping documentary, following a group of young Danish men during their military service in Afghanistan. Having lived in Denmark myself, this hit much more close to home than most documentaries I've ever seen. It's a shocking and very human view… More
Personal, intimate and very gripping documentary, following a group of young Danish men during their military service in Afghanistan. Having lived in Denmark myself, this hit much more close to home than most documentaries I've ever seen. It's a shocking and very human view of the mental and emotional afflictions that comes with being a soldier. Keeping its focus placed on the individuals, as opposed to the politics, is what makes this film such a riveting watch. It doesn't try preach about what's right or wrong, but maintains a firm objectivity, while simultaneously being close in view. An honest, unfiltered look into a terrifying situation where death is ever present. Highly recommended!
Carlos M

During this fascinating documentary filmed as a fictional war film, I kept wondering how the filmmakers managed to stay alive while doing this in the line of fire. Authentic and magnificently edited, this compelling work grows even more intriguing when some ethical issues arise among… More
During this fascinating documentary filmed as a fictional war film, I kept wondering how the filmmakers managed to stay alive while doing this in the line of fire. Authentic and magnificently edited, this compelling work grows even more intriguing when some ethical issues arise among the soldiers during the final act.