Good Movie

Rating: 7/10 (10 July 2006)

I wouldn't rate this with Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, Saving Private Ryan, or some other Combat/War based films I feel are classics, but it's a solid movie.
The casting was excellent, I thought Eric Bana did a convincing job in his role. He basically gets across the point that he's a man torn between devotion to his country, his family, and his sanity. I enjoy films that focus the strain put on the mind of the warrior (or in this case assassin) much more than films that just glorify the actions of the "hero". The mental affects that a mission of this type, one that's so up close and personal to those targeted, they clearly should be a focal point of his character and I felt the film did a nice job of showing that stress.
The effects were nicely done and I felt that Spielberg did a good job of making sure the props and environment appeared early 70's ish. I also didn't feel a sense of political propaganda either; the Palestinians were doing what they felt was right and the Israelis were responding in a way that they felt was right. I felt that in this case a story was told rather than a justification for one side or the other.
It was definitely a solid film, in this case I only rented it but had I saw it at the theater, I would have left satisfied.