A half-decent war film but hardly one of the greats.

Rating: 6/10 (14 May 2010)

What a disappointment this was. I should have learned by now that critical acclaim rarely indicates a good film. Some scenes are very good and some of the tense moments come across well but generally it just plods along. I'm not a fan of shaky-cam but the cinematography is pretty good and I think being filmed in Jordan helps give a real feeling of authenticity - which does rescue the film somewhat. However, the hopelessly unrealistic military conditions really let it down - buy, hey, it's only a film. Given the poor script (terrible in places) the acting is passable. The direction isn't bad but hardly worthy of an Oscar (yes, I know, she's a woman and that seems to be given undue importance). It feels like she didn't really have a clear idea of what sort of film she was making. The success at the Oscars is just another indication, should one be needed, of how meaningless the Oscars are - barely an excuse for a fashion show.