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He's in the Army Now (O Şimdi Asker)

He's in the Army Now (O Şimdi Asker)

Movie · 2003 · 15 people

O Şimdi Asker (He's in the Army Now) is a comedy-drama directed by Mustafa Altıoklar, who wrote the script with Levent Kazak; Abdullah Oğuz produced it. ANS Productions and Warner Bros. Turkey are named as companies. It opened on 27 March 2003 and runs about 125 minutes. Mehmet Günsür received the 40th Year Special Award at the Golden Orange and a jury special prize at the Sadri Alışık awards, and Altıoklar won best director from the Magazine Journalists' Association.

The premise is a special law passed after the 17 August 1999 earthquake that allowed paid-exemption military service to raise money for victims. A very mixed group gathers at a training brigade in Çanakkale for 28 days of service. They include the factory owner Murat (Ercan Saatçi), the worker Ömer (Yiğit Özşener), Gökhan Özoğuz, singer of the band Athena, Nihat (Mehmet Günsür), who lost his family in the quake, the actor Levent Kazak and the Australian Turk Hüseyin (Ali Poyrazoğlu). The commander is Captain Volkan Ateş (Özcan Deniz), and they find Karlıdağ (Yavuz Bingöl), serving extra time for indiscipline, already there. The men treat it as a holiday, but the film brings them up against the tension over the Kardak rocks between Turkey and Greece.

The cast also includes Pelin Batu (Müzeyyen), Seray Sever (Doctor Yasemin), Özlem Tekin (Aylin), Naci Taşdöğen (Sergeant Major Süslü) and Meral Okay (Resmiye).

DirectorMustafa Altıoklar
Production companyANS Productions
He's in the Army Now (O Şimdi Asker) He's in the Army Now (O Şimdi Asker) He's in the Army Now (O Şimdi Asker)

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Cast

Gökhan Özoğuz Gökhan Özoğuz Artist · 50 years old Levent Kazak Levent Kazak Actor · 59 years old Mehmet Günsür Mehmet Günsür Actor · 51 years old Meral Okay Meral Okay Actor · died at 52 Naci Taşdöğen Naci Taşdöğen Actor · 63 years old Özlem Tekin Özlem Tekin Singer · 54 years old Pelin Batu Pelin Batu Actor · 47 years old Yavuz Bingöl Yavuz Bingöl Singer · 62 years old Yiğit Özşener Yiğit Özşener Actor · 54 years old Ömer Güneş Emir Güneş Emir Actor · 41 years old Özcan Deniz Özcan Deniz Actor · 54 years old Seray Sever Seray Sever Actor · 53 years old Şebnem Schaefer Şebnem Schaefer Model · 42 years old Ercan Saatçi Ercan Saatçi Singer · 58 years old Ali Poyrazoğlu Ali Poyrazoğlu Actor · 80 years old

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Through different eyes

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

Using the paid-exemption military service law passed after the 17 August earthquake as the ground for a comedy is the film's most interesting side. A mixed group, from a factory owner to a worker, a singer to a quake survivor, meeting in the same barracks shows how differences of class and identity soften in a shared experience. The Kardak tension abruptly confronts the funny story with a national issue. That change of tone is not always smooth; still, it is a comedy that reflects the mood of its period.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Mustafa Altıoklar's direction and the script he wrote with Levent Kazak set up the familiar ensemble-comedy structure soundly: different types, one location, a shared test. The awards for Mehmet Günsür and Altıoklar's best-director prize show the film was taken seriously. But the turn from comedy to the Kardak tension is the hardest place for consistency of tone. The comedy is likeable, while the political standoff risks sitting like a short parenthesis. Even so, the ensemble work is the film's strongest card. How close a comedy built after the earthquake can go to the wound is a delicate matter, and the film seems to try to keep its measure in most places.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

It starts like a barracks joke, but there is a character who lost his family in the quake, and the Kardak tension between Turkey and Greece is in the mix. It may weigh on small children. For teenagers and adults, very different people coming together is a nice idea. Best watched with grown-ups, with a little talking.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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