Best-known for his acclaimed crime drama The Wire, David Simon took his focus overseas for 2008’s Generation Kill. Joined by co-creators Ed Burns and Evan Wright, this HBO mini-series confronted the 2003 US invasion of Iraq.

Based on Wright’s book of the same title, Kill spans seven episodes across this set’s three Blu-ray Discs. The plot synopses come from Wikipedia.

Get Some: “Marines prepare to invade Iraq at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While the Marines wait to receive their orders at Camp Mathilda in Kuwait, they learn that Rolling Stone columnist Evan Wright (Lee Tergesen) will be embedded with them.”

With a debut episode, I expect to get a general introduction to the characters and situations. That arrives via “Get Some”.

Interestingly, the Marines we meet start out as cartoons and become more three-dimensional as the episode progresses. Indeed, the show delivers an uncensored look at the roles in all their racist and homophobic and sexist “glory”.

Initially this made me feel I’d become unable to connect to any of the characters because they seemed so horrible. However, instead I think the choice works because it gets the crudeness out front immediately and doesn't force us to feel shocked later in the programs.

This helps make “Get Some” an effective launch to the series. It delivers the basics well and gives us enough about the roles to get a sense of them, a challenge given how many we meet in so little time. “Get Some” winds up as a solid way to start Kill.

The Cradle of Civilization: “With the invasion of Iraq now in full swing, Sgt. Brad “Iceman” Colbert (Alexander Skarsgård Alexander Skarsgård) tries to keep his unit focused. First Recon Marines adjust to shifting attack plans while anticipating their first contact with the enemy in Nasiriyah and Al Gharraf.”

“Cradle” sends out protagonists into actual combat. This obviously ups the ante in terms of action and drama.

Though much of the episode focuses on warfare, it also manages to help expand the characters to some degree. Still, most of the emphasis remains on battle so expect that side of the series to develop.

Screwby: “Bravo Company await their next orders for a recon mission, having survived its first trial by fire. Lt. Nathaniel Fick (Stark Sands) tries to take control of a dangerous situation. Lt. Col. Stephen “Godfather” Ferrando (Chance Kelly) issues a new, more urgent order shortly after Alpha Company shells Ar Rifa.”

Given that Skarsgård receives top billing for Kill, it comes as no surprise he forms the audience surrogate of sorts. “Screwby” does more to help establish him as the series’ conscience.

That helps with the episode’s larger theme: the inconsistency of competence and intentions in the US forces. I like that Kill doesn’t simply paint the American military as a noble and flawless force, so “Screwby” advances the narrative well.

Combat Jack: “Grumbling in the ranks about the abandoned supply truck occupies time to kill at the captured airfield, but Bravo is soon on the move again, heading north, clearing villages and setting up a roadblock outside Al Hayy. Meanwhile, Alpha is ordered to find the body of a Marine in Al-Shatrah, but their mission is delayed by a CIA operation.”

I won’t call “Jack” a placeholder episode, but it shows less obvious dramatic progression than its predecessors. It does involve the Iraqis a bit more, though, and that adds some dimensionality. While less compelling than the first three programs, it still pushes us ahead in a positive manner.

A Burning Dog: “Despite an armored division's punishing response to First Recon's intelligence-gathering about an ambush-in-waiting at a strategic bridge, Bravo still meets stiff resistance while making several attempts to cross it. A survey of the battlefield prompts more questions than answers about the enemy. A roadblock in Al Muwaffiqiyah tests the Marines' ever-changing rules of engagement.”

After a less eventful show, Kill kicks into higher gear, primarily due to the nighttime mission Bravo undertakes. This leads to some of the series’ most harrowing moments.

Other elements develop well too, especially when the Marines start to question the propaganda fed their way. “Dog” complicates matters in a solid way.

Stay Frosty: “After First Recon is assigned the unfamiliar mission of escorting hundreds of civilians fleeing Baghdad, they begin to wonder if their part in the war may be ending. Lt. Col. Ferrando has other plans to get his men back into the battle.”

Though Kill never focuses on the Iraqis, those residents creep into the series more and more as it goes. This helps humanize the story and also make the Marines’ mission more complicated because they gradually find it more and more difficult to see the Iraqis as just less than human “Hajis”.

“Frosty” gives us some action but it develops this side of the tale in a more dynamic way, and that adds appealing complexity to the series. All of this helps make “Frosty” a quality episode and a good lead-in to the Kill finale.

Bomb in the Garden: “Having reached Baghdad, Bravo Company is shocked at the size of the city. While First Recon begin doing their daily patrols in Baghdad, they find out the obstacles that they and the Iraqis face are much greater than they could have imagined.”

This episode finishes the series primarily because it represents the end of Wright’s time on the job. Since Kill comes based on his work, it makes sense we leave with him.

Kill wraps with the Marines as conquering heroes in Baghdad – or so they hope, but the reality becomes different. “Garden” advances the presence of Iraqi civilians to the series’ greatest degree, as it primarily focuses on US attempts to win hearts and minds in non-combat situations.

Of course, this doesn’t become as easy as American forces expect, and that adds a somewhat depressing – but realistic – finale to Kill. While not the slambang ending a war series might normally provide, it fits the project and gives us the appropriate perspective on the misbegotten US invasion of Iraq.

Ultimately, Kill doesn’t reinvent programs about the military but it becomes a quality endeavor nonetheless. It brings a solid examination of the subject manner and keeps us involved across its nearly eight-hour running time.

Generation Kill appears in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Shot on 16mm film, the series showed the limitations of its source.

Not that this made the visuals poor, of course, and the gritty visuals made sense for the tone of the project. Still, this left us with less than attractive shows.

Sharpness looked fine in close-ups and two-shots worked fine to a lesser degree. Matters took a hit in wider elements, though, as those tended to seem less defined.

I witnessed no issues with jagged edges or moiré effects, and the episodes lacked edge haloes. The 16mm film came with natural – albeit heavy – grain and showed no print flaws.

Unsurprisingly, the palette opted for the tan/sandy vibe usually found with desert-located productions, though blues/greens came up in lower-light scenes. The colors didn’t excel but they matched the series’ grimy aesthetic.

Blacks seemed fairly dense, while shadows appeared reasonably smooth. Though not an objectively attractive series, the Blu-rays replicated the source.

On the other hand, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio of Kill fared well and added strong involvement to the experience. With the level of bombast expected from a series with many scenes of combat, the soundfield used the various speakers well.

Obviously, battles proved the most involving, as they engulfed the viewer with the sounds of the settings. That side of things worked best, but other sequences also seemed quite good, as even quieter sections placed the viewer in the action and consistently satisfied.

Audio quality was also good. Speech appeared natural, and the lines never demonstrated intelligibility problems.

Music was quite dynamic and lively, as the score showed excellent range and delineation. Effects were also bright and bold, with nice low-end to boot. Across the board, the series offered quality audio.

All episodes except “Stay Frosty” come with audio commentaries. Here’s who we find:

“Get Some”: executive producers/writers David Simon and Ed Burns and director Susanna White.

“The Cradle of Civilization”: Burns and producer Andrea Calderwood.

“Screwby”: author/screenwriter Evan Wright and actors Stark Sands and Benjamin Busch.

“Combat Jack”: director Simon Cellan Jones an actors Alexander Skarsgård and James Ransone.

“A Burning Dog”: Wright, actor/key military advisor Eric Kocher and actor/Marines technical advisor Jeffrey Carisalez.

“Bomb in the Garden”: Simon and executive producer George Faber.

The various chats look at story/characters, cast and performances, realism, stunts and action, sets and locations, editing and photography, realism and liberties.

With so many different participants across these six tracks, it became inevitable that quality would vary. However, we get no actual duds.

The Simon/Faber chat for “Garden” probably winds up as the least interesting of the bunch. Though they give us some good details, they also keep things more general and offer more of a series-ending valedictory note than anything else.

Without question, the Wright/Sands/Busch commentary fares best, as it digs deepest into how the series reflected reality. We get a fine look at the background behind what we see.

In any case, all six still manage to merit a listen. Even with the ups and downs, we learn a lot about Kill over these chats.

An interactive feature called Basic Training accompanies all seven episodes. This breaks into three different domains.

“Chain of Command” shows various hierarchies and basics related to military ranks and the people involved with the series’ events. “Mission Map” shows a broad look at the locations and “Military Glossary” gives basics about a slew of terms.

I went into “Training” with trepidation, as I figured it would offer an annoying branching feature that forced me to constantly interrupt episodes to check out the content. Happily, it functions in a more complementary and non-intrusive way.

“Command” and “Glossary” never change, as they offer reference material. “Command” helps us keep track of characters and their positions, while “Glossary” provides definitions of a slew of concepts.

Only “Map” changes, as it varies dependent on the focus of each episode. All of these can easily be accessed with your remote and they act as a fine supplement to the viewing experience.

A few other components appear on Disc Three, and A Conversation with 1st Recon Marines runs 23 minutes, 25 seconds. Presented as a panel, it involves journalist Evan Wright as well as Marines Josh Ray Person, Eric Kocher, Rudy Reyes, Antonio Espera, Brad Colbert and Mike Wynn.

They reflect on Kill and the way it represented their experiences. We get an intriguing view of these domains in this informative chat.

Making Generation Kill goes for 25 minutes, five seconds. It brings info from Simon, Wright, Burns, White, Kocher, Calderwood, Reyes, Ransone, Skarsgård, Carisalez, Jones, Sands, casting director Alexa Fogel, production designer Rob Harris, locations captain Giles Harris, key makeup Sue Michel, costume supervisor Mabel Mofokeng, assistant costume designer Susan Howie, visual FX supervisor Adam McInnes, 2nd stunt coordinator Daniel Hirst, stunt performer Paul Hampshire, special DX supervisor Antony Stone, action vehicle coordinator Paul Fisher, prop master Shane Bunce, key armourmer Lance Peters, and actors Wilson Bethel, Lee Tergesen, Kellan Lutz, Billy Lush, Eric Ladin, Marc Menchaca, Rey Valentin, Jon Huertas, and Sydney Hall.

The program examines story/characters and the real men/facts behind the cinematic adaptations, sets and locations, costumes and military details, cast and performances, stunts and effects. Expect a mix of happy talk and facts in this inconsistent program.

Next comes Eric Ladin’s Video Diaries, a 30-minute, nine-second compilation of footage the actor shot during the production. Nothing revelatory appears but we get a decent look at the shoot.

Finally, Deleted Dialogues gives us five different audio-only clips that occupy 14 minutes, nine seconds. It doesn’t become clear why we these lack visuals as well, though I suspect they never shot the scenes and the actors recreated them in a recording studio, as they tend to sound like “radio plays” and not material from a movie set.

Nonetheless, the segments present some interesting material. They revolve around Marine banter and never become fascinating, but they nonetheless add some value.

Although I can’t claim Generation Kill brings a particularly fresh spin on the well-trodden war genre, it nonetheless provides a quality mini-series. It fills its seven episodes with a dark and visceral look at the early stages of the US war in Iraq. The Blu-rays provide appropriate visuals along with strong audio and good supplements. Kill turns into a well-made mini-series.

Note that this 2025 Blu-ray reissues the mini-series’ prior release in 2009. The 2025 BD simply reproduces the same discs from 16 years earlier.