Mark of Cain
By Mal Simons, Blockbuster.co.uk

"Baaaa...Baaaa. Hear that? That's the sound of a lamb ready to be sacrificed."

The war in Iraq has divided the country and the world; from veteran TV director Marc Munden comes a fictional story following young British soldiers in Iraq who take part in abusing suspected insurgents and who are sacrificed to allow the army to save face. This film was praised by Amnesty International upon it's release and is sure to divide the audience.

The ‘mark of Cain’ is a reference from the Book of Genesis in the bible, where God declared that Cain, the firstborn of Adam and Eve was cursed and placed a mark upon him to warn others that killing Cain would provoke the vengeance of God. The mark of Cain is a warning to all – of unimaginable shame and of a guilt that can never be forgiven.

When a young British soldier – eighteen year old Mark (Gerard Kearns), nicknamed Treacle is shipped off to Basra with his best friend Shane (Matthew McNulty), they are warned upon arriving in Iraq, that the ‘mark of Cain’ will be branded on anyone caught mistreating the locals.

Out on the streets of the war torn city, the troops find themselves at odds with the local population who are resentful down to petrol and food shortages, and for the abyss that Iraq has fallen into. Initially the troops succeed in maintaining order and work at building relationships with the wider community.

When their company commander is killed in an ambush, trying to rescue one of his men; his next in command – Corporal Grant (Shaun Dooley) a man who previously was the voice of reason for the soldiers… snaps and decides that it is time for his unit to fight back against not only the insurgents but to punish anyone they believe to be responsible for fighting against the coalition. This results in the Corporal ordering Mark and Shane to take part in torturing prisoners of war in similar ways to that famously seen in real life, at US camp Abu Ghraib.

When the two privates return to the UK, Mark and Shane find adjusting to life very difficult. There is a muted reaction to their homecoming by the locals – quite a contrast to the reaction after the Falklands war; the reason given is that they had won the Falklands while the war in Iraq is still going on.

Shane, who was more into the torture of the suspected insurgents than his impressionable friend had taken pictures of the atrocities that his unit in Iraq had committed and shares these with his girlfriend Shelly (Naomi Bentley). When Shelly learns that Shane had cheated on her, she goes to the police and the images are seized and released to the press.

In the face of massive political and public pressure from a nation in disgust, the Army chiefs hold an investigation that uncovers that the commanding officer of the barracks, a high ranking Major had turned a blind eye to the actions of the unit – it would have been impossible for him not to have heard the screams. It is made clear that if they try to bring charges on the man who orchaestrated the abuse – Corporal Gant, he will state in court that his superiors knew what was going on. Instead they decide to promote Gant to Seargant and then only prosecute the two lowest ranking privates – Mark and Shane.

Lambs to the slaughter, both men are told to just plead guilty as this is the best thing for the unit; deeply regretful for the minor part that he had played in the abuse, Mark falls apart while Shane holds on to the belief that the army will look after them and there will not be a court martial – they will be able to keep their jobs after a slap on the wrist.

A controversial movie that is sure to stir a debate; The Mark of Cain will not suit everyone; it is however, a good film for anyone interested in the Iraq war or politics in general. Filmed in Tunisia, the filmmakers have done a great job in making this feel like Iraq; you will find yourself on the edge of your seat through most of this movie – gripped by the drama and the uncomfortable feeling that this feels very real.

Obviously inspired by the cases of abuse at Abu Ghraib and the subsequent images of British soldiers urinating on prisoners (– later proven to be faked). Many of the scenes in The Mark of Cain are almost exact replications of some of these disturbing images. This adds to the uncomfortable feeling that we are watching real abuse… in fact, I had to double check to ensure that this was a fictional story – sadly, the whole thing feels uncomfortably real.

The media has reported on supposed cases of abuse by coalition soldiers for years now. The Mark of Cain does its best to show not only the abuse committed by these soldiers but also the reasons for this abuse in the first place. It does not try to justify their actions however it does present some uncomfortable questions to the audience about whether we are that different to the young soldiers in the film who, will follow their superiors rather than make a stand.

Uncomfortable, disturbing, touching but above all gripping; The Mark of Cain is an excellent TV drama. Add to your list now. Viewer discretion is advised.

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