The Mark of Cain (2007)

Director:

Marc Munden

Writer:

Tony Marchant (writer)

Release Date:

25 November 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Uses detailed research and explosive new testimonies by soldiers who have served in Iraq to tell an emotional fictional story of two young men very much out of their depth.

Plot Keywords:

Iraq | Death On Custody | Racism | Brutality | War Crime

Awards:

6 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Gerard Kearns	...	Mark 'Treacle' Tate
Matthew McNulty	...	Shane Gulliver
Naomi Bentley	...	Shelley
Elliot Cowan	...	Captain Worriss
Brendan Coyle	...	Davey Gulliver
Heather Craney	...	Brenda Tate
Shaun Dingwall	...	Major Godber
Shaun Dooley	...	Corporal Gant
Leo Gregory	...	Lance Corporal Quealey
Alistair Petrie	...	Major Rod Gilchrist
Pip Torrens	...	Colonel Hampton
Roger Barclay	...	Adjutant
Matthew Gravelle	...	Chaplain
Kevin Knapman	...	Pvt Soldier 1
Simon Naylor	...	Pvt Soldier 2

Also Known As:

Kainin merkki (Finland) (TV title) [fi]
Kains märke (Finland: Swedish title) (TV title) [sv]
To simadi tou Kain (Greece) [el]

MPAA:

Rated R for violent and disturbing content including torture, pervasive language and some nudity.

Runtime:

87 min | Netherlands:90 min (International Film Festival Rotterdam)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Australia:MA (2007) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bolton School, Bolton, Lancashire, England, UK

Company:

Red Production Company

Goofs:

Continuity: When Gulliver and Tate are outside, before they go to beat the prisoners, the scene changes from morning to the middle of the night, after watching the other soldiers walk towards the cells and cut back to them talking.

The wages of war

Tony Marchant's film 'The Mark of Cain' tells three stories: that of the impossible task facing British soldiers in Iraq; that of the terrible cruelties they inflicted on Iraqi suspects; and that of a cover-up in the chain of command. The story is fictional but based on true events; however, there's less evidence in the real world for the cover-up than for the other two elements, and while it seems plausible, this aspect of the tale feels more "written" than the other two. And as always with Marchant, there's a careful and clever manipulation of the viewer's sympathies throughout: I never quite feel that Marchant gives me the space to form my own opinion. But it's strong stuff, well-performed and unflinching, even if it doesn't really say much in the end except that bad things happen in war.