Oodachlivih Sina by @Thorvald (El Thorvaldo)

The 1979–1989 Afghan War was to the Soviet Union what Vietnam was to the United States: long, wearying, ill-advised, and politically damning. But whereas the "domino theory" promoted to justify Vietnam was ultimately proven false, the backdoor dealings in Afghanistan led to tragic international repercussions years after the Cold War ended.

I first discovered the film 9th Company (2005) from mock motivational posters here on deviantART. It is a fictionalized account of the Battle of Hill 3234, in which a platoon of the 345th PPD held off 200-250 mujahideen fighters. I couldn't help but notice similarities to Full Metal Jacket in terms of plot structure, although ironically, boot camp is slightly easier while the combat is extremely brutal. The film definitely places action over art, but the cinematography is crisp, the characters believable, and there are some genuinely moving scenes. If one can look past the glaring inaccuracy of the climactic firefight on the hill, it is an entertaining war movie of a slightly higher calibre than the typical Hollywood output.

Way back in April of this year, I was inspired to make a music video out of the film to the tune of "Fortunate Son". For whatever reason the project stalled, but today I finally filled in the last few holes. Needless to say, spoilers abound. (Access code: 5tr@
v!n5k3)

[Originally submitted as journal to DeviantArt November 2012]