Very good

Rating: 8/10 (4 November 2005)

This movie is not what I expected. I expected your typical war movie, with carnage, killing, gun fights, bombs, etc. That was not at all what this movie was about. That being said it was still a good movie.
The movie looks more at the psyche and life of the soldiers in the first Gulf War. Now there wasn't much ground combat in the Gulf War, and a lot of sitting around for the ground forces. This movie showed perfectly the stress of anticipation and its effects of moral and the minds of the soldiers. It also showed, to a small degree, the interaction between soldiers and their loved ones back home.
Jake Gyllenhal and Jamie Foxx are incredible together. If both of these guys aren't nominated for an Oscar I will be shocked. Gyllenhal portrays every emotion perfectly. The fear, the anger, the mental break down, everything. Foxx is excellent in his supporting role as the staff sargent. He is an excellent mentor figure.
Overall this movie, while lacking in action, is very very good. You should not let the fact that it is "a war movie with no war" deter you from seeing it.