A weak film in a weaker genre

Rating: Null/10 (6 July 2002)

The fact that this rather dull and clichéd phoned-in film is getting such positive response seems to me a reflection of how bad most war films are. Blackhawk Down for example was nearly unwatchable due to its lack of characters and flat droning moment by moment recitation story telling stlye; war without politics-imagine that! But No Man's Land aspires to be more, and largely fails. I suppose it feels good to look at Bosnian Muslims and Serb Nationalists and say (as many characters do in the film) that they are maniacs. While the film tries to stand ironically distant from the portrayed events, the sad result is twofold. First, on the political front, we have a paean to inaction. If all sides are mad then it is madness to become involved at all. What was supposed to come off as a critique of UN cynicism only ends as an endorsement of it due to the film's unwillingness to take sides. Like a teenager hating everything, the film's unfocused 360 degree critique creates no meaningful contrasts leaving the viewer no where to stand. Too bad, because there are real and important human stories to tell about Bosnia and Kosovo that the west particularly needs to hear. On the film front, we have a weak film that relies too heavily on the viewer to fill in the large gaps. All the characters are seen-em-before cutouts spewing out canned shopworn dialogue. Director Tanovic has chosen to rely on our knowledge of much better films like Catch-22 and Paths of Glory to make his film hold together. A lost opportunity, too bad.