Imagery was outstanding, Statement was there!

Rating: 10/10 (11 November 2005)

I went into this movie reading about how it wasn't the typical war movie; about how all the big "boom" scenes weren't present. Knowing that, and knowing the aesthetics of Sam Mendes, and the incredible talent of Gyllenhaal, Foxx and Sarsgaard, I went to this movie with mixed expectations, but high hopes. It definitely exceeded all my expectations, and I can't wait for the DVD!
As I watched, I saw, not a war movie, but a character study of these men...boys actually...thrown into a war they didn't know much about. It was an honest movie, I think, and it was BEAUTIFULLY filmed. I was sucked in and taken on a ride that wasn't about "action" or "suspense"...it was about these few moments between the waiting, between the boredom. The crux of the movie (I won't say what because I don't want to spoil anything) moved me so much, because my heart ached for them. (That's the scene that convinced me that Peter Sarsgaard is the next big thing...next to Jake Gyllenhaal, of course!)
There's no hidden agenda in the film...there's no political stance. People are saying there's no plot. I beg to differ. I see a movie about the despair that they all felt when their war ended before it ever started. There WAS no plot in their lives in those few months. Their time in the desert was like a wheel that was spinning and not going anywhere. I felt the movie captured that to a tee.
Two thumbs up from me! :) Jenn