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Ghosts Of Abu Ghraib
MOVIE: HBO, Thursday 2/22 at 9:30p (90 minutes)

Ghosts Of Abu Ghraib
Critic Score
Metascore: 76 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
5.8 out of 10
based on 7 reviews
read critic reviews
how did we calculate this?
based on 13 votes
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Filmmaker Rory Kennedy explores the torture that occurred at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison while it was run by occupying American forces.

GENRE(S): Documentary, War
FIRST AIR DATE: February 22, 2007

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

91
Entertainment Weekly Alynda Wheat
Unforgettable are the stories of the detainees themselves. [23 Feb 2007, p.93]
90
Philadelphia Inquirer Jonathan Storm
Must-watch and can't-watch viewing at the same time, it demands attention.
Read Full Review
88
New York Daily News David Hinckley
Rory Kennedy's new documentary, "Ghosts of Abu Ghraib," makes me sick - and that's probably what she had in mind.
Read Full Review
70
The New York Times Alessandra Stanley
“Ghosts of Abu Ghraib” will appall and sadden viewers worried about human rights and international law. But it will be just as discouraging for those who believe that the danger posed by Al Qaeda trumps even those humanitarian concerns.
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70
Washington Post Tom Shales
Skillfully and sparingly told without a narrator, with only occasional on-screen captions to help the narrative along, the film brings to life a sadly shameful moment in recent American history and does it without histrionics.
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70
Salon Heather Havrilesky
Kennedy pieces together a narrative that is very different from either the common wisdom about Abu Ghraib or the Pentagon's official story.
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60
Los Angeles Times Tony Perry
While the Abu Ghraib story is not new, "Ghosts" adds significantly to public knowledge by showing the pictures that newspapers only hint at and by interviewing soldiers and prisoners.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this tv show is 5.8 (out of 10) based on 13 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Raisa J gave it a0:
C'mon now did you really think we would eat up this awful propoganda?

Kurisu D gave it a9:
Very good material detailing the going ons at Abu Ghraib... shows a more indepth perspective into what the media only hinted at and was an eye-opener to say the least... Even had some commentary from some soldiers who were involved.....the pictures don't lie... and I feel sad for those who give this a 0 or 1 rating...

Ron S gave it a1:
To Leigh G I'm sure if you shop around enough you'll find what you need to reinforce your beliefs.. as to people who disagree with you being portrayed as "only watching Fox for their daily news", man we should all bow down to you who is so much smarter than everyone else. For your information, other people also have access to different sources of "information" on the internet, news channels, newspapers, editorials, etc. If you found what you wanted to find, hooray, I'm glad that this came out so we can see both sides of the debate. Pray that it stays a debate for those who haven't made up their minds yet based on what they WANT to see and hear.

Rob J gave it a0:
The bi-partisan commision investigating Abu Graib in its final statement said "It was Animal House on the nightshift at Abu Graib". Purely, this docu is for left wing idiots like Rosie O'Donell. Why not investigate Sadaams torture(real torture!) at this very prison.

Isom C gave it a9:
This movie had me chilled to the bone at times after hearing the actual accounts of what happened from the inmates themselves. An eye-opener for me personally.

Leigh G gave it an8:
I found this documentary to be rather interesting. People who believe the things they hear or actually read the news instead of watching Fox for their daily dose of "truth" will not like this at all - and rightfully shouldn't bother. It will bore them since they either (a) don't want to hear it, or (b) already have heard it (through newspapers). But, if you like having your eyes blindfolded - don't tune in. I however like to hear what's going on in our world and sometimes that means looking at the nasty truth behind our own government. Absolute power corrupts, it's the extent at which it corrupts that is important, and while I didn't feel the soldiers involved in the tragedy that unfolded in Abu Ghraib were completely exonerated, neither were the interrogators, or our government. It did, however, give us the "other side" to the story that the news filtered out for our "benefit", which seemed to be it's purpose. From there, it's up to you to hear what happened and come up with your own opinion, I didn’t feel they were trying to force one on the viewer. I was always someone who believed everything my government and elders told me, it's what I was taught growing up in a right wing, very conservative Republican household. It's taken time and a lot of eye opening to sift through and do my own research for the truth behind 9/11, the Iraq war, Gitmo, more recently Walter Reed, and similar 'put up the patsy to hang' scandals, all which help me make my own informed opinion and belief - there's usually more than meets the eye when we're told something. It's not always in our best interest to take it for full value, and look the other way - usually something else is going on behind the scenes. I found it interesting that these atrocities took place *after* the general in charge of torturing the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay visited the prison to "get better results." It was simply bone chilling to hear from Iraqi citizens who survived (and the tales of those who did not survive) their imprisonment (most falsely) at Abu Ghraib. The tales of these soldiers was insightful; to hear their own accounts, explanations, and admit they felt something they had done was stupid and ignorant. But what I felt was courageous, was their willingness to tell their side, especially since this is a story our government would like to shove under the rug and remain "Just a few bad soldiers in the bunch." Sure, there are a few bad soldiers in the bunch; they just got the wrong bunch. It was easy to pin it on and ruin lives and careers of a few ‘peons’, so long as those higher up are sitting pretty with their ego and pensions untouched.

nim gave it a9:
interesting presentation of sad truth

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