Somewhat Flawed

Rating: 5/10 (4 February 2013)

This film has some excellent parts to it but at the same time it comes from a perspective that is somewhat flawed. I say this because the author, LCpl Anthony Swafford, was very immature and his resulting lack of discipline caused him to leave the Marine Corps with a disgruntled mentality. The book this movie is based on reflects that skewed outlook. Add to that the fact that there are always inevitable additions Hollywood inserts to make a film even more sensational (than the book itself) and one should be able to understand that everything is not necessarily as it seems. For example, there is one scenario where the marines are told to don their protective gear and play football in 112 degree heat. Well, since military training is supposed to be as realistic as possible I suppose this could happen-but only for a very short duration and certainly not at the pace depicted. Later on, when they are then told to drink out of their canteens (while their protective masks are still on) we find that some members have busted canteen tops or have been missing their drinking tubes for some time. And I doubt this very seriously. First of all, these marines were deployed to a combat area where the use of chemical or biological agents against them was considered very likely. That being the case, their gear would have been checked and inspected repeatedly and on a regular basis. Further, any defects would have been corrected almost immediately. After all, this was a front-line military unit and not a group of reservists put together at the last minute. Now, for some people this might seem to be a minor issue, but this is just one item (out of many) that gives the appearance that these marines were sent into a combat area for a lengthy time and then totally forgotten about. So, while this might have been the message the author was trying to convey, the fact is that it may have been more his perception than actual reality. And again, his perception was probably clouded by his attitude more than anything else. That said, this film essentially revolves around a very narrow (and possibly imagined) point-of-view. To be sure, our soldiers and marines had to endure a very long and trying stint in the desert. It was lonely and they felt anguish for their loved ones back home. To that end, this film does a very good job of capturing the monotony and sense of isolation. But the "hurry up and wait" scenario is hardly a novel concept in this day and age any more than it has been with many armies for thousands of years. For example, siege warfare often lasted months upon end without the conveniences these marines had. Same thing with the Japanese soldiers on isolated island atolls during World War II. Not to mention the marine's Iraqi counterparts on the other side of the border who had to endure B-52 strikes with only their cardboard bunkers to protect them. Now, I don't say this to belittle the experiences our soldiers and marines had to endure, day in and day out, for over 6 months in such an arid and hostile environment. Again, it was a definite accomplishment and I think this movie does as much as any film can to capture that ordeal. But there were times when it seemed LCpl Swafford did more than his share of whining about his circumstances. Once again, it goes back to the source. Likewise, I thought there were some scenes which didn't need to be included and only served to make the Marine Corps look bad. That is not to say that the foul language wasn't unusual or that sex wasn't on the minds of these young marines. But was it really necessary to show them in such a crude fashion? Well, I suppose it might be if one had a negative attitude about what it means to be a marine. And again it all goes back to the author and possibly to those in Hollywood who have never served in the military. In short, this movie had some good points and it had some bad points. The depiction of the "highway of death" and the oil fields burning were definite highlights. But the negativity and crudeness brought on by the recollections of someone who was clearly bitter about his experience seemed to distort reality and diminish the overall effect.