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THE KILL TEAM Send This Review to a Friend
Slowly but effectively Dan Krauss, the director and co-writer of “The Kill Team,” documents the ugly case of American servicemen brought to justice for deliberately killing civilians during the war in Afghanistan. Although others involved are covered, the main focus is on Adam C. Winfield, who when faced with the possibility of a very long sentence opted to give evidence about the atrocity in which he participated.
There seems no question that the event was horrendous, especially when one of the accused shot a victim repeatedly. But as abhorrent as such actions are, one must also see the behavior in light of the atmosphere created when young men are sent to face the horrors of the military’s useless, hopeless war that never should have been fought.
One should hold those responsible for invading in the first place at least partly guilty for unintended consequences. The training of young men to kill and placing them in an environment where death or danger looms can create a reckless attitude that it is OK to shoot at random no matter how morally wrong and corrupt such actions are. Yes, the guilty need to be punished harshly but a culture has been created in which a soldier has had to prove that he has killed, thus increasing the pressure to kill no matter whom. None of this, of course, can clear individual responsibility, but neither can one view such events isolation.
Winfield is fortunate enough to have had parents who tried their best to help him and worry deeply about the mess their son was in. Naturally, they are gratified when he gets less prison time than he could have received along with his dishonorable discharge. But there is also something off-putting about a film that tends to evoke sympathy for the accused while not sympathizing enough with the unfortunate victims.
Without politicizing the case and despite its shortcomings, the filmmakers--Lawrence Lerew and Linda Davis collaborated on the screenplay with Krauss--have made an interesting and troublesome documentary shedding light on what can happen in yet another misbegotten war. An Oscilloscope Laboratories release. Reviewed July 25, 2014.
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