Good iraq war action movie with a lot of goofs.

Rating: 7/10 (30 January 2010)

Most movies about the Iraq war are mostly dramas. The thing about them is that they take themselves too seriously and contain loads of propaganda or ideology in it. So of course there are emotional or melodramatic dialogues between characters and their opinion about how war is wrong or that what they're doing is right. However, most people i'm sure are tired of that bullcrap.
This movie may just be the thing you need. Its plot is so thin and simple. It's about the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team (EOD) in the US army Bravo Team consisting of the three main characters you'll be seeing throughout the whole movie. SFC James, sgt sandborn and sgt Eldridge. It depicts their experiences and the events they faced before their rotation in around 28 days. That's the whole plot but the movie is character driven therefore, what makes this movie a cut above the rest is its characters. Jeremy Renner is fantastic in this movie. I loved his performance in 28 weeks later and i loved it here. He's so charismatic and cool.
The interaction between them and the unstable relationship they build as a team is interesting. They don't just hate each other and then love each other. They hate each other and then you're not sure if they still do. The portrayal of the soldier's psyche as he goes on tour in iraq is great. They don't tell you much, rather they let you see for yourself. See that's the thing about this movie and the others, it's more action and talk less but it gets the message across better than those other propaganda movies which are chock full of dramatic dialogues.
The goofs are what bothered me throughout the movie; and there are A LOT. It may be nitpicking but if i think they should try to make it as real as possible. To make it believable? For example, the EOD team consisting of just three members. Where are their escorts? ATO's must be like medics because of their specialism in a skill that is highly needed. They're high value targets. Also, why are there civilian and animals near the IED? Where's the cordon? Are the soldiers jacking off? Oh and this ones i just cannot comprehend. The way SFC james just walks to the bomb without carrying his kit, checking for secondary devices and handling the bomb like a three year old handles his toys. Where is the SOP? Come on if its that easy, any grunt can be an ATO. Just snap a wire and its defused. You don't even know if its RCIED or keyless car entry system or if its motion sensitive.
The whole plot and events in the movie is very similar to the book by Major Chris Hunter "Eight lives down". The movie is good. Gets your blood pumping but makes you feel also for the soldiers and the civilians that suffer. Overall, this movie is a great war movie.