Bad reviews Missed the point

Rating: 9/10 (6 September 2015)

Most of the negative reviews of this film are centred around the "unjustified" war in Iraq. However this entirely misses the point of the film. There is no statement one way or the other about Iraq apart from the most general "war is hell". Criticising the film on this point is like judging a cooking contest and complaining about the weather. Those harping on this are letting their own political biases skew their judgement.
Do I think the war in Iraq was unjustified? Yes. Deplorable American intervention which has directly led to the refugee crisis we are seeing today in Europe. But does this influence my appreciation of the story? No. This is a classic tale of a tragic hero. It doesn't matter if the hero is facing Nazi Germany, the North Vietnamese, the Persians or the Yankees; here you have a guy that was very good at his job and went beyond the call of duty to help his fellow warriors, both in the battlefield and later at home. The great tragic irony, which we feel throughout the movie as we know what happened in real life, is that he perishes at the hands of someone he was trying to help. Building up this tension and emotion is the film's master stroke.
Watch it again, without prejudice. Chris deserves your respect.