The Line (2021)

Title:  The Line

Year:  2021

Genre: Documentary |Crime | War |  

Runtime:  223 min

Director: Jeff Zimbalist, Doug Shultz

Starring:  Eddie Gallagher, Dylan Dille, Andrea Gallagher

7.7/10

In covert modern warfare, the line between right and wrong has blurred. This docuseries examines the moral ambiguities of war as embodied by the 2018 case in which a US Navy SEAL platoon accused its chief, Eddie Gallagher, of war crimes.

 A NEW REALITY  OF TRUTH SHOWN

AppleTV+ has proven to be able to a giant among the competition with Netflix, DisneyPlus, and HBO Max around the corner. It may not have long-proven credits when it comes to well-produced series and films, but it still provides a certain type of content. Few streaming services have also given the ability to upload a more provocative storyline such as The Line, with a plot following an ex-marine talking about an officer committing war crimes during their rounds abroad, serving for their country, and defending against ISIS.

It’s a documentary that’s easy to follow. It’s a mini-series that is easy to understand and to engage with of whom did what and why. We get both sides of the story and the official accusations that have put their careers on the end. Eddie Gallagher, who was the military on the line, gets non-convicted for his colleagues’ operation abroad as there is something more underneath. The series indicates that he has had connections even to the White House in Washington and Donald Trump.

It has a lot of good archive material that makes it an interesting counterpart to other series about veterans out there, there’s a sensibility of unexplored reality. Not much in the mainstream shine a light on what America has been doing wrong like it’s the truest and most honest country in the world. This series showcase that it might be that case. It might be all glory and glamour across the Atlantic. The accusations are very serious. And with the prosecution ongoing and everything in the media, this documentary also proves how hard it’s to believe in the truth and prove it. Despite the belief, it might go as planned.

It has an interactive pace, a good pace, and an exciting interview subject discussing the matter at hand. It gives a realism that’s not usual or isn’t on display that much. Usually, Americanism is celebrated but it doesn’t get celebrated that much in this series. As it has a serious tone, it drifts instead to a darker tone in how the situation all played out. The variation between editing, soundtrack, interviews, and archives material goes deeper into the rabbit hole. In the end, the series shows a different side of the American military, for sure. It’s a different reality that’s on display here and that’s what’s intriguing. It’s not a series for everyone but for those who care, it might be the stuff just for you.