Maybe not a great movie,but an important one

Rating: 8/10 (3 August 2008)

Movies like this are gonna naturally garner controversy. They are practically made that way. So the message boards are just chock full of people posting opines one way or the other about the Iraq WAr as well as this movie and its relationship to it.
A tad unfortunate,really,since this film is more of a snapshot of the situation that is facing our enlisted men and women,and a very potent one at that.
It's no mistake,then,that the central character of this moral/civic duty dilemma film is a good 'ol boy from Texas named Brandon KIng(Ryan Phillipe,somewhat of a step back from work such as Crash and Breach),a mid-rank officer in the Army who has bravely served his tour(tours?) of duty in Iraq and arrives back home to his large,red state on the belief that he's home to stay,and having lost enough friends and brothers in arms in battle,he's reach a level of battle fatigue that is largely justifiable. Of course,the title of the film is a foreshadowing of the conflict and tension that is to come,as King(his rank escapes me at the moment.SArgenat?)is Stop-loss-ed,ordered to report back to duty. THree guesses as to how this sits with Brandon and the first two don't count.
A great supporting turn by Joseph Gordon LEavitt,as a childhood friend of Brandon's who also served in the Army and is the converse of Brandon:he MISSES being in the trenches and using his battle skills,but the Army has no designs on bringing him back in. Solid turns also by Timothy Olyphant(As a hard-headed,if perhaps one-not CO),Linda Emond(As Brandon's mom),CIaran HInds(blending in as Brandon's quiet but unconditionally supportive dad),Channing TAtum(as Brandon's gung-ho buddy)and Abbie Cornish as the tough,supportive friend who sides ultimately with the hero of the show.
Director Kimberly Pierce,who has some family ties to this war(I forget if it was a brother,a cousin,another relative,or whomever is serving or has served),makes no bones about it:she's out to stir some controversy and alert people to issues pertaining to the troops and how the policy and strategy of the war affect them on it. Love it or hate it,agree whole-heartedly or disagree vehemninently,one has to say that this film and story is food for thought,and THAT is definitely the characteristic of an effective and important movie.