HBO's Generation Kill, lauded by fans as one of the greatest war dramas ever made, is now available to stream on NOW TV. The series, based on the 2004 book by Rolling Stone journalist Evan Wright, plunges viewers into the opening phases of the American invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Critical acclaim and fan praise
Critics have described it as "realistic, vulgar and thought-provoking", with one calling it "a gritty portrayal of the first few days of the Iraq War that successfully tosses the glamorous conventions of heroes and epic battles for the appropriate task of bringing modern audiences into the throes of a 21st-century war." A Rotten Tomatoes critic said: "Excellent series, well researched, beautiful immersion inside a group of Marines. No judgements, only attempts to depict reality as was lived by these brave men."
Fans firmly rank it alongside Band of Brothers and The Pacific as amongst the finest ever made. "Right up there with Band of Brothers, Peaky Blinders, and The Pacific. The best of the best," one fan wrote. "First watched this over 12 years ago when it was new, and it's still the greatest to this day." Additional viewers praised its tempo and acting: "The sharp dialogue, interesting characters, and superb acting makes it supremely gripping from beginning to end."
Behind the series
Created by David Simon and Ed Burns, the masterminds behind The Wire, the series demonstrates the same commitment to sophisticated storytelling, complex characters and realism that propelled that show into a genuine cultural landmark. Embedded with the elite 1st Reconnaissance Battalion of the US Marines, Wright chronicled the mayhem, gallows humour and moral ambiguity of modern combat - and the series reproduces this with remarkable attention to detail.
Featuring a cast of predominantly unknown actors at the time - including a career-defining performance from Alexander Skarsgård - Generation Kill propels viewers directly into the chaos and intensity of frontline combat. It devotes equal attention to the soldiers inside the Humvees as to the warfare enveloping them, rendering it a sophisticated and profoundly intimate story as much as a traditional war drama.
More than a decade after its initial broadcast, it remains regarded as a standard of excellence within the genre. Generation Kill is streaming on NOW.
