Soundtrack to war showcases spontaneous music performances by a striking cast of the battle weary – performances made without rehearsal, under the blaring Iraqi sun, with the backdrop of a destroyed city, grit and dust and the distraction of gunfire and bursting mortar shells. American culture came into Iraq, wired into its tanks and helicopters – a live soundtrack to war, with lyrics such as Let the bodies hit the floor, Round out the tank and Bombs over Baghdad being memorised by every soldier and forever linked to the violent events they accompanied. As the war extended into its second year, many started writing and performing their own songs. It was rock, rap and roll. War is Heavy Metal – lyrics in Metal and Gore tell us what it’s like on this hell-fire ride; rap battles in the bullring say it like it is – it’s a Baghdad thing! Rhythm and Blues for lovers and longing, Country letters home, Ballads to flags and fallen friends, Gospel calling on the Almighty and Baghdad’s Bee Gee’s digging underground… This film takes us on the whole emotional roller coaster ride of the young and talented who have found themselves in the hell of war, and who want to stay alive. Soundtrack to war is not unlike the Iraqi conflict itself: beginning with optimistic ideas and broad ambitions, fast becoming unwieldy, losing focus, having its dramatic ups and downs and devolving into a messy quagmire.