User Reviews

The real story of the Jessica Lynch affair is how the Pentagon lied to the country trying to depict miss Lynch as a hero, fighting off the enemy, when in actual fact all she suffered was getting injured and caught by the enemy. It was strange that CBS chose today to air (60 mins) the real story of what happened on that day and by the looks of it Jessica did not do much , contrary to the usual lying spin we get from our leaders today. The film, although technically well done is about nothing, with no conflict no interest and a who f*%&+#@ cares outcome. It is about nothing and the only reason why this story surfaced is because of the lie perpetrated by those who would blind us about the horrible immoral and unworthy war we are sending our children to.

Hard to see what Jessica Lynch did to become a hero from this movie. She spent most of the film in a hospital bed.

The battle scene in which she was captured showed her knocked out in an accident while her fellow soldiers battled against overwhelming Iraqi forces. It would be nice to see a movie about those folks and not about a woman who was asleep the whole time.

I came away from this film the same way as I do when I watch a Second World War film or documentary in which the Germans are fighting the Russians. The Germans were invaders and were ruthless yet the Russians were equally as bad and they were just defending their homeland against an aggressive invader so just let them all fight and kill each other (which they pretty much did). In viewing this I could not find myself cheering for the U.S. Troops or feeling sorry for them when they came under attack from the Iraqis. It makes no difference if the U.S. said that what they were doing was right and just and were there as liberators (The Germans said the same thing) . The U.S. waged an aggressive unprovoked war under what could very well be false pretenses. All that aside and considering that this incident just happened a few months ago the film for a made for TV venture was quite well done. Much of what really happened and took place may not be known for some time and when the full story finally does come out as they all eventually do when it comes to war stories it may make this picture seem hypocritical, foolish and phony.

One of the most boring TV Movies I've ever seen. This girl got lost, knocked unconscious, and was later rescued two weeks later. And she received a medal for it. The only thing more asinine is that some execs at NBC thought this would make a good movie.

Politics aside, this movie is pretty much what you'd expect from a story that isn't there: boring. The only parts even remotely interesting is the opening 5 minutes where the convoy is attacked. The parts about Lynch explaining why she went into the military, talking with friends about her private life, etc: no one cares. There wasn't anything in this movie that gave you a personal look into the war in Iraq that you couldn't find from any 5 minute summary from CNN.com

Hopefully, low ratings will keep them from airing this trash a second time.

Movie was more of a way to cash in on the hysteria of the time. For those who watch it, pay careful attention to the terrain, most of it was filmed in downtown Dallas and nearby areas. Better yet, watch Walker Texas Ranger and this movie at the same time. Look familiar? hehe

Ironically it was cheaper to spread sand and slap styrofoam on old buildings than film in LA or Canada, although the namesake star is a Canadian.

Some trivia, the hospital used was an abandoned one and when the art department put a Saddam portrait outside, it would be paintballed overnight and some guy drove all the way from Longview to Dallas to protest the Iraqis invading Texas.

Overall I would give it a 5 out of 10, not sure if it is available at your local Blockbuster yet.

This movie held my attention from the beginning to the end. To see all these brave soldiers and to see what they go through, just tears at my heart. I liked how they touched on different sides of this war. I never took what our soldiers did for granted but I couldn't believe how this movie made me feel, I felt like I was right there with them. Hats off to the director, actors etc. Thank You Jessica Lynch and to all the other Hundred of Thousands of Soldiers that are out there protecting me and my family. They are all hero's in my eyes.

My wife's first cousin Robert Dowdy was the 1st SGT in the 507th Maintenance Company. The baby wipes, they were send to him by his mother Irene, not his wife. They should do a movie on an anchor in Cleveland who went to Robert's parents house. This guy lied by saying Robert was dead just to get Robert's sister Roxanne to cry in front of the camera. Robert's fate at that time was unknown. It was a good movie, unless you had a family member to die in it. Movie's like this tell a story to the public who really wants to know what happened. The public at large will provably never know that Robert Dowdy called his mother and ask her advice about going to Iraq. He called his wife as well. One said go, one said stay. You see Robert went for another soldier who ask him to go in his place. He told Robert he had three children. This was the sole reason Robert went. Always remember, they are always a story behind a story. Most viewers set on the edge of their seats watching this movie, and a few of us cried.

First of all, it was not "too early" to make this film. Alot of people are criticizing it for coming out too soon after the events, "it happened like, six months ago!" a friend of mine, who refused to watch it said. People should be reminded that war films to rally the homefront, released shortly after the real events took place are a tradition. During World War II, there were many such examples, such as "Wake Island," and "30 Seconds Over Tokyo." So this TV-movie is not only a product of the short-attention, mass-media cash-in-on-every- human interest story trend.

That's not to say that this is a "war-propaganda" film, even if it does have heroic and patriotic elements. The story itself isn't totally sensational, and it hasn't been spectacularly "spiced-up"; The original myth behind this story had Lynch claiming that she'd "rather die" than surrender, emptying her M-16 against her attackers. The un-sensational details of the event stay that way for the most part.

The truth is that there are many stories that could be told about what happened (and what is still happening of this writing) in Iraq, and I think we should appreciate a dramatized depiction of events there. Since the Jessica Lynch rescue received so much attention, this was not a bad choice for a story to tell.

The film is best in its opening 40 minutes. The atmosphere and situation are very convincing; driving Humvees through fog, crashing because of lack of sleep, and the fear of being left alone in the desert during the advance all contribute to the atmosphere of "being there." When the action moves to the ambush, it is shot with realism and depicts many of the things that have characterized this conflict; seeing armed Iraqi soldiers at a checkpoint, not knowing whether or not they will fire upon the Americans; the stares and ambiguous nature of the Iraqis, whether they are soldiers or civilians. The nature of this war's conflict is presented well, with the Iraqis slowly setting up an ambush and then initiating the fight with a Molotov-cocktail thrown at a humvee. The combat that follows is shot realistically and is frightening and graphic. Honest respect is given to our enemies, who are much less-well equipped, as they take down an American convoy and, exhilarated, fire shots into the air.

The rest of the story is subjective, as conflicting views from analysts, the Iraqi lawyer, the hospital workers, and Lynch herself make it difficult to tell. But there is a myth behind this story that, although admittedly "dramatized," isn't really exploited.

There are some touching, genuine moments, including the rescue when the American troopers meet Jessica, and she says, "I'm an American soldier, too." It is understood that there was no resistance at the hospital, and that the hospital staff would have handed her over to the Americans. But the brave US troopers did not know this, and for all they knew they could have been walking into an ambush.

Where the story is flawed is when it depicts the interactions of the Iraqi lawyer who took part in Jessica Lynch's rescue. His vocal explanation of why he must help Lynch doesn't appear authentic nor does his logic seem genuine; he claims that he feels for her as he sees her being abused, "what if she were my daughter?" Wouldn't he have seen numerous similar crimes committed by the Fedayeen before? His encounter with those Hussein loyalists is suspenseful, but probably somewhat fictionalized. I also would have liked to have known more about the real Jessica Lynch, her background and desire to be a teacher serve more as typical backstory here than they do to flesh out her character.

Probably the most controversial moment of the film comes when we see Jessica's parents informed by the military that she is ok, by phone. I didn't know how to react to this, since many family members across the US are receiving the exact opposite message from military messengers. But I am grateful for a look inside this current conflict, and hope that more films about the Iraqi war are made in the future.

Overall, the made for TV movie was well acted. It was good to see that the focus really was not on Jessica Lynch, but rather on Mohammed Al-Raheif. If you've read his book (which this movie is based on), you will see how he risked everything just to save this woman. He really was the hero and it's too bad that SO MUCH attention was put on Lynch.

Good things about the movie: well-acted, focused on the Iraqi, felt like you were in Iraq, visual and sound effects acceptable

Bad things about the movie: a little slow paced, some of the scenes don't seem to match the Al-Raheif's book, visual and sound effects could have been better.

Saving Jessica Lynch is a TV docudrama that was literally thrown together within months following the dramatic rescue of Private Jessica Lynch in the first weeks of `Iraqi Freedom.' There was much skepticism for many who even considered working on the project do to the quick timing. To this day, rumor and innuendo still surround the facts.

NBC claims that this particular version of events are the story rights of Mohammed Al Rehaief, the Iraqi lawyer who risked his life and family by telling American Soldiers of Lynch's where abouts. Yet, the movie starts long before Al Rehaief's participation, and the circumstances surrounding events without Al Rehaief are apparent matter of fiction, creative conjecture, and public record, that the creators have handled well. But there will always be this question, that I hope critics will answer, who does this story really belong to?

With all politics aside, and much to my surprise, this movie was particularly enthralling with its suspense, action, and heart felt drama.

The movie starts with the military convoy of the 507th maintenance support vehicles in the dark desert, headlights bouncing light and shadows between vehicles and blowing sand, quickly setting a desolate and soon to be lost mood. With a lack of communication and an aberrant GPS device, choosing the right turn is negligible. The chosen road takes the convoy to the small town of Nasiriya, where all types of Iraqi fighters are seemingly eager to shoot their first American. The tempo methodically builds as the Iraqi fighters push a school bus out into the street causing the convoy to abruptly come to a halt. A long pause for thought and what to do adds to the tension. A plan for escape ensues, but it quickly unravels as the Iraqi's open fire, bullets ricocheting and penetrating all the vehicles at once. Trying to see through the barrage of gunfire as if driving through a pounding rain storm, Lynch's vehicle driven by her close friend Lori Piestewa, crashes into a supply truck.

The passengers of the supply truck, which include soldiers Shoshona Johnson and Patrick Miller, attempt to lend aid to Lynch's vehicle. While dodging bullets, they realize and assume that all are lost, including Lynch.

The devastating battle continues. Patrick Miller and the unknown `blonde' soldier's heroics go practically unnoticed, but that does not stop the drama of the moment or performances from painting a descriptive picture of what essentially happened. We even see Shoshana Johnson take a shot in the ankle. A significant and identifiable moment for woman in the military.

The Iraqi fighters take the surviving soldiers Edgar Hernandez, Joseph Hudson, Shoshona Johnson, Patrick Miller, and James Riley as Prisoners of War. Jessica Lynch is then pulled from the bullet ridden vehicle by the Iraqi's, her seemingly lifeless body, dropped to the ground.

An Iraqi soldier dressed in black, presumably Fedayin, notices that Jessica is still alive, and he orders his men to take the remaining bodies and Jessica away.

Lynch is taken to a warn out hospital where the Fedayin impose their headquarters amongst doctors and patients. With trepidation, a woman doctor makes several clandestine attempts to comfort Jessica. While visiting his wife, who is also a doctor at the hospital, Mohammed Al Rehaief discovers that Lynch is being held. Al Rahaief begins to wrestle with his own conscious and how his family has been affected by Hussein's regime. We even see his neighbor, a woman, being dragged down the street behind a truck because she merely waved at an American helicopter. With years of watching his people tortured, and fearing for the future life of his own little girl, it appears that his selfless decision to contact the US military didn't even take a second thought.

Al Rehaief walks out into the desert at night after the Fedayin imposed curfew, and finds a military regiment to share his news. In a horrifying moment, Al Rehaief is secured at gun point, and shrouded with a bag over his head before being brought to the commander. At one point, Al Rehaief even asks if he will be tortured.

The discovery of the location of a missing soldier, let alone a 19 year old young woman who wants to be a kindergarten teacher, creates great concern and interest to the white house. `We leave no soldier behind' rings true in this story. Without much hesitation, the military takes a leap of faith in believing Al Rehaief's story, and organizes one of the most carefully calculated and meticulous rescues that even the best writers in Hollywood gulped and stuttered at.

Although we as an audience know the outcome, watching the rescue events unfold in this docudrama brings out an emotion of recent memory of watching the specifics on CNN in green. Even though the creators have mixed fact with fiction, the fact that this young woman was rescued in the condition she was in with the help and aid of Iraqi citizens is truly a miracle. The story of the 507th and downed pilots David S. Williams and Ronald Young Jr. is one that needs to be told. Someday it would be nice if there was a narrative that is a compilation of each of their stories, and that it be made into a feature film with all of their blessings.

`Saving Jessica Lynch' is unauthorized by Lynch, and I think it was made and released too quickly and without proper consent. But this story was put together well, and did not particularly exploit the soldiers as feared by critics. It was most certainly worth seeing.

Had the look and feel of a movie made for the big screen. It was a great story with excellent acting. From all the news reports I have read about this story, the movie closely depicted the events surrounding the actual events. It made me feel good to know that they are still people in the world that will risk their own safety to help others in need.

I came away from this film the same way as I do when I watch a Second World War film or documentary about the war on the Eastern front in which the Germans are fighting the Russians. The Germans were invaders and were ruthless yet the Russians were equally as bad and they were just defending their homeland against an aggressive invader so just let them all fight and kill each other (which they pretty much did). In viewing this I could not find myself cheering for the U.S. Troops or feeling sorry for them when they came under attack from the Iraqis. It makes no difference if the U.S. said that what they were doing was right and just and were there as liberators (The Germans said the same thing) . The U.S. waged an aggressive unprovoked war under what could very well be false pretenses. Additionally as the mess in Iraq continues it was hard to really enjoy the film. Have we won? Have we lost? It's way to early to say and it was way to early to make a picture about this. Much of what really happened and took place may not be known for some time and when the full story finally does come out as they all eventually do when it comes to war stories it may make this picture seem hypocritical, foolish and totally phony. If you want to see another film about a controversial U.S. war that was made while the real war was still being waged then check out John Wayne in The Green Berets.

I was totally blown away by this film. I must admit my expectations were minimal as I braced myself for another ripped from the headlines (and jingoistic flag waving) movie of the week. But my prediction was pleasantly shattered by the first 40 minutes which drew me into the horror of war as if it were a 100 million dollar feature. The prelude to the ambush, the ambush itself and the aftermath (including a very scary hospital scene shot in an almost avant garde style) were devastating. But what made 'Lynch' resonate even more was the fact that the soldiers were cooks and clerks, not Rangers, Navy Seals etc. It was the flip side of BLACKHAWK DOWN. I found this film to be brilliantly antiwar and certainly not one that I would think the current administration would rally around to promote its agendas. Jessica Lynch was presented as an almost unwitting bystander in the ordeal. She couldn't a job at Walmart and enlisted in the army as an alternative. She ends up in the back seat of a humvee in a combat zone and on her back in an Iraqi hospital. Believe me, there is enough drama swirling her to sustain anyone's interest. To quote the New York Times review from Nov. 7th, "the ambush scene is surprisingly good, particularly the moments just before the Americans come under fire, shoot back and ultimately surrender. The convoy's slow,silent and eerie drive into an Iraq controlled section of Nasiriya past stunned enemy soldiers and frightened civilians, and the commanding officer's sweaty seconds of indecision, provide as intimate a glimpse of combat fright as television offers." Frank Rich's article in the New York Times the day it aired (Pfc. Jessica Lynch isn't Rambo now Nov. 9) applauded the film for its integrity. He writes, "given the facts as we know them to date, it is startling in its relative accuracy - more than earlier reportage by the Washington Post and the New York Times". He continues and writes, "its existence as prime time entertainment during the commercially calculating ratings wars of a sweeps week reflects another change in the country's mood, toward harder nosed realism and away from unrestrained triumphalism". Many of the other reviews that I read seemed to have missed the point or the reviewers never bothered to see the film. TIME magazine said in their review that 'the battle scene was so chaotic one couldn't determine if Lynch fired her rifle or not.' She didn't fire her weapon in the NBC film I saw. I don't know what he was watching (or not watching). The film is also balanced in terms of its depiction of the Iraqi point of view. The second part of the film details the involvement of an Iraqi lawyer in the rescue of Lynch. His fights with his wife who is no lover of the United States demonstrates the atomization of Iraqi society having lived under Hussein. At one point Mohammed (the lawyer) says that the Americans will protect them. His wife replies as she looks out the window of her house, "what Americans? I don't see any Americans. I only see buildings and markets bombed by Americans." The sense of mistrust is pervasive, a key condition that bears scrutiny, and is given detailed treatment by the film. And even though the outcome of the piece is not a mystery it was nevertheless riveting. Particularly emotional is the scene when the soldiers find the bodies of Lynch's compatriots buried in the sand outside the hospital and have to dig them up by hand. I started cruising the internet and found an interesting quote. The article read, "at best SAVING JESSICA LYNCH may come off an anti-war but never anti-soldier, a story of real risks and real fears pulled off amazingly well for a so-called television movie. SJL is an account of people, not nations; of the terror of war.

Saving Jessica Lynch - Please! Ms. Lynch did nothing spectacular. She was just another POW.

How many POWs have their been in the history of war and

statecraft? Where are their movies? Where are their stories? Why

does Lynch get painted as the American Sweetheart. I'll tell you why. It's all part of the pathetic excuse of U.S.

propaganda to try to justify an illegal war. Where are the so-called

weapons of mass destruction? The only reason the U.S. invaded

Iraq is because George W. Bush is a coward. Out of his so-called

"Axis of Evil," Iraq is the weakest. They have been under heavy U.S.

sanction since the Gulf War. How could they create weapons of

mass destruction? They can't. Plain and simple. Why not go after

Iran or North Korea? Iran is an unknown and the North Koreans

would kick America's ass. They don't care about the U.S. Hell,

they'd shoot nukes at the Americans. The U.S. knows if they go

against the North Koreans, then the Chinese get involved and the

Americans don't want to f--k with the Chinese.

Very good movie, especially because it is first movie about Iraqi war, filmed only 6 month after war ends. Despite poor critics, 'true story' debates, even PFC Lynch's rescue detail challenges, hey, it is another American action movie. Lot of army stuff, glimpse in the Iraqi soldiers life, which reminds me like overrated 'Black Hawk Down'. This movie is BASED on true story, so any director adjusts story to movie as much as he want (especialy American directors). By the way, even Richard Attenborough's Chaplin (great movie) have same true story mismatching, so what? Movies are movies, if you want true story details, read biographies!

Saving Jessica Lynch: a first-impressions review

Thumbs up.

I thought this was a good movie. It did not romanticize or heroicize Pfc. Lynch or what she endured. NBC didn't make her a female Rambo. The movie spent a lot of time showing what her Iraqi co-rescuer, Mohammed al-Rehaief, risked to tell the Americans about her confinement.

The Nasariyeh battle sequence was well done. My only complaint would be showing the fedayeen just standing in the middle of the street, hip shooting their AK-47s. That's a good way to (a) get killed, as a fair number of them did and (b) shoot the sky, not your targets. But for all know, the fedayeen there really did that. Heck, in Baghdad they charged Abrams tanks with pickup trucks, so their open-battle skills seem not to have been very great.

There was a lot of action about the firefight what wasn't presented, of course, but the movie was not about the whole battle. It tracked Lynch and those involved directly with her.

It was good to see the American military officers and enlisted members portrayed with decency and humanity. The Iraqi medical staff were sympathetically presented, which accords with what I recall was written about them once Nasiriyah was secured and western media moved in. The fedayeen leader was something of a caricature, but on the other hand, when you portray Nazis or those like them, can you really overplay their evil?

The sequence when the SOF uncovered the American bodies from the sand with their hands could have easily been overplayed. But it was understated and evocative without being maudlin.

All in all, this movie was a worthy presentation for Veterans Day weekend. Kudos to NBC.

PS - I am a retired US Army artillery officer.

This movie didnt make JL to be some hero she wasnt. I dont even think she shot her gun in the movie. Here is the gist of the comments here: Gulf War II was wrong=everything that happened is wrong.

Ok, some could say this movie was boring, I wouldnt but some might. How is this so horrible of a movie?

Critics have accused the media of bias in the coverage of Lynch versus that of her fellow soldiers, Shoshana Johnson and Lori Piestewa. All three were ambushed in the same attack during the Iraq War on March 23, 2003, with Piestewa being killed and Lynch and Johnson being injured and taken prisoner.

Lynch, a young, blonde, white woman, received far more media coverage than Johnson with media critics suggesting that the media gave more attention to the woman with whom audiences supposedly more readily identify with.

Lynch says that she still gets hate mail from Americans who accuse her of making up the heroic acts attributed to her. "I was captured, but then I was OK and I didn't go down fighting. OK, so what?" she says. "It was really hard to convince people that I didn't have to do any of that.