Very good

Rating: 8/10 (27 October 2005)

Like the previous entry, I too saw this at a promotional advanced screening at my University (Michigan State). Judging from the previews I thought it was going to be a modern day Apacolypse Now. I was wrong. The first 45 minutes or so is actually quite funny. They basically see no action and are just "on guard" so it gives a great opportunity for character development. I can guarantee that who ever you go with or where ever you see it, there will be a lot of laughs. After about an hour the movie starts to settle down and become more serious. Mostly because they actually start to go on missions. This is where the war part comes in. I enjoyed the fact that there was no politics involved, which is how I like my movies. The actors were superb. Jake Gyllenhaal is his usual brilliance along with Jamie Foxx and Peter Sarsgaard, who all deliver equally good performances. The main reason I really enjoyed this was because it was a war movie that wasn't afraid to show the non-war of war. It would be stupid for us to say that Desert Storm or the War of Terror is the same as Vietnam. This movie knows they're not the same and isn't afraid to make sure we know it. I agree it may be slow at times, but the humor helps carry it along with the performances. It also gives us a good look what the military is like with a modern perspective (i.e. Not a lot of action, cheating wives and girlfriends, and male bonding) Very enjoyable movie. Go see it. 8/10