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Good movie but grossly overrated

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

In the United States Military, each branch of the armed services has an honor code that belies the ideals of principle, courage, and integrity that they strive to instill on each respective serviceman. The Air Force has "We will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does." The other services all have something similar to this that are spoken in the form of an oath when a serviceman is commissioned to be an officer. This movie shows how this code can be disregarded in the most horrendous ways. The fact that this is still a problem for the woman and men of the armed forces is a stain on our country's honor. There shouldn't be any fear of rape or assault by a fellow recruit, serviceman, or officer in a woman's—or man's—mind when he or she enters the organization that is responsible for our very safety. Due to this movie as well as the actions and voices of victims, supporters and policy makers, real change is starting to happen.Personally speaking, the movie is very professionally made, engaging, and eye opening. All the claims they make are well supported by evidence and statistics, and the call for reform and change is a powerful message that is finally beginning to be heeded. I would highly recommend anyone that interested in the armed services, both male and female, should watch this movie. The message conveyed is a somber and important one. That said, I am not asserting that one shouldn't join the armed forces because of this problem, simply that anyone interested should make an informed decision on what they are getting into. This problem is being addressed, and hopefully in the future this problem will disappear completely.

American female soldiers are more likely to be raped by a fellow service member than killed by enemy fire. Only 14% of those attacked come out and report their abuse, and only 8% of men accused with sexual assault are prosecuted. Such disconcerting facts make up the bulk of provo documentarian Kirby Dick's Oscar-shortlisted documentary The Invisible War (whose previous documentaries include Twist of Faith and This Film is Not Yet Rated). Treating the issue as an epidemic and plague, Dick confronts the subject, the witnesses and the culprits head-0n, and certainly doesn't give us much in the way of respite.A very tough movie, aside from the increasingly traumatic, revelations of misconduct, the subsequent cover-ups and the quasi-normalised nature of such events, Dick shouts the issue at us with continuous factoid title cards and harrowed talking head interviews with victims of rape and abuse, their families, and blind-sited state officials. Although some of these interviews have the desired impact, an onslaught of them for three quarters of the movie borders on the aggressive and exploitative. It's cold, neither cinematically compelling or emotionally engaging, and some more personal touches, credible investigative journalism or involved authorship would have stopped The Invisible War from feeling like a lecture that berates the ill-informed audience.Even if the documentary structure is formulaic and forgettable, the subject matter certainly isn't. Allegedly the biggest cover-up in the USA's military history, Kirby Dick gives a voice to the voiceless, and the film has already made significant changes: shaking up the Secretary of Defence, bureaucratic case handling and encouraging victims to oust their attackers. Baby steps in the right direction, The Invisible War is an aggravated and enraging documentary, but no doubt an important one too.Read more reviews at www.366movies.com

The Invisible War (2012) **** (out of 4)Terrific documentary from Kirby Dick (THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED) taking a look at women and men in the military who are raped but their reports get covered up by their officials. THE INVISIBLE WAR is a pretty shocking and haunting documentary. It's not like this is the first film to deal with women getting raped and people turning away when it comes time to report it. What's so shocking is that so many of these cases were rather open and shut in regards to the accused really being guilty yet this still wasn't enough for them to be punished in any way, shape or form. Even more shocking is when you see how many cases are reported but then you have to consider how many women (and men) are raped but don't report it due to fear or them just thinking nothing is going to be done (which is obviously happening). Several years ago I watched a documentary on women in college who get raped and those numbers were also shocking so it's rather sad to see how many cases are out there in all walks of life but nothing appears to be getting done about it. The stories here are quite haunting including one where a victim had to call her father and tell him what happened. As a film I had to use the word "entertaining" when it comes to rape but it's clear that the director knows how to tell a story and he certainly gets his point and message across. THE INVISIBLE WAR takes a look at an ugly subject matter but it's extremely well-made and worth watching.

Rape in the military is about as thorny and intractable a problem as deciding whether to go to mid-east war or not. The Invisible War solidly makes the argument that the military judicial process for rape is deeply flawed, if only because commanders are given the absolute right and power to determine how the accusations are handled.Think about it: the commander could be the assailant or a friend and can dismiss a case with little recourse for the aggrieved soldier. This documentary hammers home both statistically and in practice how frustrating the process can be, sometimes leading to suicide. A recent court decision that rape is an "occupational hazard" doesn't help anything.At the least, husbands and wives become tense or split; rarely is a marriage unaffected by the rape. For singles, the sympathy is not overwhelming, and without a support group, it is lonely out there to take on the chain of command. In a macho world where team attitude is high priority, rape allegations are not welcomed, especially if the rapist is the commanding officer.As I find in many documentaries, only one side is examined (Michael Moore being the leading exponent of the lopsided argument). In the case of The Invisible War, we are well served with victims who get no satisfaction, but we don't experience fully the case where the accused is found to have been wronged by the accuser. However, the doc does an effective job with the stories of women who accused but rarely gained a conviction.The percentage of adjudicated cases where the accused is found guilty is small. Given the thousands of allegations, that number seems too small. At any rate, after seeing this documentary, Secretary of Defense made a bold decision that confirms the efficacy of a well-made documentary.