Good not great - not best picture by far.

Rating: 6/10 (6 February 2010)

Simply put this movie is good but no great.
The direction is precise and the actors never distract from the plot and realism. There is no very obvious message or preaching. Also the way big stars like Fiennes and Pearce are killed off unexpectedly is quite good.
The story about bomb disposal is just not that interesting. Some incidents like diffusing the car bomb etc are tense the first time you watch it but I wouldn't want to watch it again.
Compared to other war movies it is unique in that it is very intimate and does not aim for a grand scope. But this is also its fault. It is just rather boring.
Some rather painful moments like the punching each other for fun among the soldiers could have been left out.
Renner is a good actor but his face is rather unpleasantly ugly. His heroism and self sacrifice is quite moving to watch though. Despite this he is not a very sympathetic character.
The other characters are not too memorable either.
Overall it is a unique war movie but it is not the best war movie ever or the best movie of the year for that matter.