The shape of things to come? I hope not.

Rating: 1/10 (12 February 2006)

As we all know there is always a clutch of movies that get spawned by conflict and some are good and some are brown and smelly. My boy, Matt age 12 and myself are movie freaks. We hardly ever wait for DVD but prefer to sit amongst the litter at our favourite 'Flix' and live, eat and smell the movie raw. I was particularly keen to take Matt to see this movie as the US vs Iraq conflict is on the syllabus for his modern history studies and i though that this would be a great opportunity to see life for the soldier on the ground albeit through the eyes of a Marine Sniper. Having served as a sniper myself. So in we went and the fact that the movie had only just been released in the UK yet we were in the smallest cinema screen (Just 120 Seats) and half of these were vacant seemed somehow ominous. Casting no-names is a good stunt and throwing in ten shovel loads of sexual innuendo and graphic language is another but it cannot mask poor direction and production and the fact that the script writer has had to re-run all his his Vietnam movies for ideas. Shallow, weak, and missed opportunity are all phrases that spring to mind for me but in another way I am pleased because it leaves the field wide open for someone to come and do a good job. Don't think I am not a fan of Sam Mendes because I am but as Matt said 'Dad that was disappointing' I could not agree with him more. Sam you could have done much better what happened to you after Road to Perdition?