Nice Effort But Can't Quite Succeed

Rating: 7/10 (21 January 2019)

11 April 2008. There are some good moments in this Anti-War movie but there are some technical problems and a less than superb script, plot. The MTV inserts at the beginning with musical video segments of the war seem more disruptive and unnecessary (at least to the older generation) and furthermore than fade out and aren't used in the last two-thirds of the movie. There are some editing problems, in at least two places (a brief shot of writing on a pad and the cut to father and then son later in the movie seems out of sync). The cinematography varies, especially at the beginning portion of the movie that don't seem to serve much purpose. There appears to be too much effort to dramatize and reduce the complexity of reality into various two-dimensional characters representative of several archetypes of the sick and wounded coming out of the Iraq conflict. And the ending is perhaps too pat or too conveniently American. Nevertheless through out the movie there are some strong scenes, some riveting experiences of the conflict in Iraq and at home. The relationships in the movie are decent, especially the female/male relationships handled much more realistic than most movies. Unfortunately, this movie never quit offers up enough character development, relational backstory, and for the ending enough of an understanding explanation that is instead sort of the cop-out twist ending that fails to really satisfy. Seven out of Ten Stars.