Boring, uninvolved and indifferent.

Rating: 3/10 (8 January 2006)

Despite some excellent performances and cinematography I found this film to be an unimaginative take on material treated better in the far superior Full Metal Jacket. The problem with the film is it is just a series of clichéd sketches and MTV style musical interludes showing the dehumanising process of becoming a soldier and in order for this to work you need to care about the characters which you won't. This is another in the seemingly endless line of "worthy" Hollywood statement films the problem being that the statement has been made too many times before by better directors. Mendes should return to the stage where I think his talents as a business man would be better suited.