The politics of war

Rating: 7/10 (4 May 2007)

I was fascinated by the indoctrination of the Marines before they were ever sent to war.
It seems that they take great pains to build them into a unit that performs its mission without question.
It was sad to see what happened when they were sent to Desert Storm. Over six months in the desert heat and nothing to show for it. Lives lost to friendly fire, marriages and relationships destroyed. An unending tale of disease from the atmosphere over there, and they never even used the training they received.
This film had a lot of stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard, Lucas Black, Chris Cooper, and Dennis Haysbert, but it wasn't about the characters, it was about the futility of it all. That makes it worthwhile viewing.