Review: courtesy of john pogue , the yale grad who previously gave us `` the skulls '' 
Sentiment: positive

Review: is gripping , as are the scenes of jia with his family 
Sentiment: positive

Review: with the fast , funny , and even touching story 
Sentiment: positive

Review: a powerful performance from mel gibson and a brutal 90-minute battle sequence that does everything but issue you a dog-tag and an m-16 . 
Sentiment: positive


Review: a core of flimsy -- or , worse yet , nonexistent -- ideas