Pathos and frustration in the desert

Rating: 5/10 (27 January 2006)

The film is a simple tale of men caught up in a modern war in modern times. Real men that could live next door to anyone. Because I'm British I thought I would have a problem with the US angle on the film, but at the end of the day, it could have just as well been a UK production. Maybe that's the Sam Mendes touch.
This was one of those films that leaves a series of pictures behind it. Burning oil fields. Raining oil. Burnt corpses. The evil, but soft at heart, staff sergeant. Lots of shouting. Male camaraderie. The coming home parade. It is a bit like the beginning of a good TV mini-series, but just as you are about to start caring about the characters, the film gives up on them. Now that would be a good time to start the TV series.