[2] The Damned follows a group of volunteer Union soldiers as they patrol territory in the western United States.
[3] A group of Union volunteers, young men mostly, arriving in the desolate and harsh Western territories during the Civil War in 1862.
They start to grapple with the moral compromises inherent in war, and the senseless violence they might be forced to inflict.
Their faith is tested, and the purpose of their sacrifices is continually debated, leaving the men with more questions than answers.
Although director Minervini was born in Italy and lives in New York City, he resided in Texas for a decade and created a number of films about the region that blur the lines between documentary and narrative filmmaking.
He travelled to Helena, Montana the following year and spoke to members of the National Guard about participating in the film.
[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 63 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
[9] Film critic Carlo Valeri on Sentieri Selvaggi [it] described it as "an ambitious counter-history of the United States carried out by the Italian director all along,"[10] while Elisa Battistini on Quinlan points out that it is "a work that with great brilliance deals with war and its absurdity.
"[11] Gian Luca Pisacane on Cinematografo.it [it] also notes that "Minervini abandons the documentary, but does not lose the political, social gaze that has always characterized him.