Mendes hasn't reached his master-stroke with this one but he's made a good and memorable film all the same

Rating: 7/10 (13 June 2006)

STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits
Adapted from his own novel of his experiences during wartime, the film tells the story of Anthony Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal) a young man who enlists in the army as the Gulf War takes off. Sent to a post in the desert with other members of his unit, they don't find a war taking place but just a need to be on constant alert. Their Staff Seargent Sykes (Jamie Foxx) trains them to be brutal killers in combat and a life or two was even lost in training- only for them to face nothing actually in the way of danger. The film becomes a study of how these men, namely Swofford, cope with the pressures of being on constant alert and the unbelievable boredom that breaks out as they sit around expecting the fight of their lives, only to return to a victory parade without having the honour of having faced any combat for their country.
Brit director Sam Mendes hit it off with the unforgettably powerful American Beauty, but he followed it up a few years later with the gangster flick Road to Perdition, which, in my eyes anyway, was a bit under-whelming. This new film of his is shot in a style and told in a way that is unlike his previous two efforts, with a slightly more docu-drama style, some might say. It's a strategy that pays off, fairly well.
The film has a few quietly absorbing moments to it, as well as a few powerful and disturbing scenes from lead star Gylennhaal. If only his co-stars were as good, unfortunately, they're mostly all wasted in supporting roles, most notably Chris Cooper. Foxx is commanding in a co-starring role but even he seems to have limited screen time.
Unfortunately, the film is about boredom and, as such, sometimes the actual story itself tends to become a little dreary itself leaving the film a collection of great bits rather than a thoroughly brilliant whole. ***