Great War movie

Rating: 9/10 (23 January 2007)

Although the boot camp scenes appear to be derived from Full Metal Jacket, the lingo is authentic. If you remember Mr. Emery was in the Marines so he wasn't making that stuff up. As for the war, that was the most realistic part. Because of the troop buildup and technical support, Desert Storm was the face of modern war. (The quagmire in Iraq today caused by Bush is not in my opinion a good example of modern warfare.) Anyway the story follows a young sniper through training and deployment to Saudi Arabia where he finds himself waiting for months guarding oil fields in the Saudi desert. When the battle call is given, led by his Staff Sergeant ( Jamie Foxx in top form) the sniper begins the long trek toward the heart of Kuwait and the enemy. Unfortunately the war takes off without the infantry leaving them in the dust of the armored divisions and the air force. By the time the Marines enter the kill zone the war is all but over. This is an excellent film but if you are expecting a war film with blood and guts this is not the movie for you. This is a movie for marines and soldiers who understand the loneliness of deployment and the relentlessness of constant repetitive military training that you know you may never have to use in the first place. It is a story of the human struggle to overcome personal hardships. I love this movie.