Some day some one will make a good war movie again

Rating: 2/10 (6 April 2006)

I'm in Florida for several months and this movie was stripped off the shelves at the local Blockbuster for four weeks. After finally seeing it, the only reason I can surmise for its unavailability was the location of military bases (including a Marine base) near by. Perhaps military people would enjoy it. I found it boring and it didn't take long to get my finger on the fast forward. I was relieved to see no one got on a political grandstand. But the most striking thing was how it was shot on the cheap. This movie got acclaim and buzz. How? I think they could have shot this movie in the Sonoran desert on a Cam Corder with 100 Mexican extras with perhaps one scene in a Baja junk yard. The only Arabs you see are a veiled woman passing by in a car, two "Officers" in a distant tower, and five guys with camels in the distance. I imagine that scene was done from a distance because up close they would be revealed to be blonde-haired surfer dudes and guys in camel costumes. You never see an Arab up close, because...surprise! They didn't hire any for the film. There were some "crispy critter" dead guys that could have been done about as well in any Halloween fun house. Reviewers marveled at "Spectacular Cinematography" in the oil well fire scenes. That was all stage camera work in front of a screen. They had film of actual oil fires and put the actors in front of it with fans and ink spray. John Wayne was acting with the same technology over 40 years previous. I was looking for any authentic military equipment. Was that a WW2 Sherman tank? I thought they had Abrams for that conflict. It definitely wasn't an Abrams. Maybe it was Jose on a beefed-up Toyota. It's amazing what Jose can do with paper mache; you should see his piñatas. Boo-ra, senor. I was waiting for some guy to change its carburetor (tanks are diesels with out carburetors) like B.A. Baracus (Mr. T) did in the corny TV series "The A Team." They mentioned tank killer jets, but I didn't see a single plane with the distinctive two-engine profile of those planes (they were A-10's or something like that, weren't they?). I don't even think their sniper rifles were authentic. AS a matter of fact, I didn't see a single authentic military aircraft of any kind. Maybe I missed it, but where were the aircraft? They should have pulled Kit out of storage from "Knight Rider" or something. "I think the Ahabs are beaten, Michael! Semper Fi!" Also, there was a definite feeling that the Director tried to borrow from 'Full Metal Jacket.' That undercurrent wasn't even subtle. It was pathetic, however. This movie is for the really, really bored, and perhaps the really dumb. I suggest you read the book if you want to get the feel of this man's story and forget the movie. And if you want to see a really good contemporary war film, watch FMJ. Well, you've already seen it. Haven't we all, and look forward to when some one will finally make a good war movie again. If you've seen it ten times, it would be better than watching this bomb for the first time....I'm adding this after my review was posted and as a final comment. I've read others' reviews now and posted additional comments on other threads. My final comment is this: this is a psychological art film/anti-war film masquerading as a war flick. Even if you like art films, this is still boring and lacking coherency both in content and scene sequence. Production values were low, and technical authenticity was bogus. Fairly good acting talent was wasted by a poor and erratic Direction by Mendes and an equally lousy screenplay. It's also being revealed that the author probably lied about his experiences because his comrades are not backing up his facts; thus fouling anything the film was trying to say (or not say). I wasn't impressed by the author in his appearance on "The Daily Show" either. His interview was as boring as the flick.....One last comment, because I dwell on the technical stuff in films. What kind of incoming rounds were those? They were really weak to the point of being ridiculous. Any mortar round would shred anyone that close. How can they get away with such obvious technical flaws and be considered anything but ridiculous? It's like a stage play put on screen. I have no political agenda with my commments on this film. I opposed the current occupation of Iraq even before it occurred...this is just a crummy film. Jamie Foxx has a great future, though.