No one leaves the battlefield the same person

Rating: 9/10 (18 January 2015)

To the reviewers who are harping about why we were in Iraq, etc., grind your little axe somewhere else. There's some great illustrations in this film about the very real consequences of participating in war and consequently why we must take great care of the men and women in uniform that serve this nation. That there is boundaries upon what is asked of a man in battle and the impacts on their psyche.
I gave it "Only" 9/10 stars as I felt a few "stateside" scenes could have been done more convincingly. All the battle scenes get 10/10 and were completely engaging to the degree that the anxiety portrayed is palpable. For me, it's a sit-forward-in-your-seat film like Hurt Locker and parts of Deer Hunter. The pace is great - 2 1/2 hours flew by. The cinematography was excellent. I was anxious how the ending would be handled and it was in my opinion done the best way possible. I also very much appreciate they didn't use one of the usual suspects to play the lead role - Brad Cooper was excellent.