"I'm ready to die, James." A

Rating: 10/10 (27 June 2012)

The focal point of this brilliant movie is the character of James, played extremely well by Jeremy Renner. The foil to his character is Sergeant J. T. Sanborn, played by Anthony Mackie. Within these two characters are two completely opposite dispositions concerning the soldier psyche pushed into combat. The opening quite sums up the entire movie really. Sometimes the rush of battle consumes a man, and to no end. One of the greatest aspects of this film is how it re-creates the fear of life-threatening situations modern day soldiers encounter.
We also get the sense of aimlessness, such as the scene where a bomb capable of killing many is in the middle of being defused and yet there are people filming the crisis as if it were a mere show. It kind of brings one back to "Full Metal Jacket" when one soldier remarked "Here we are dying for these people, and they think its one big joke." The struggle between duty and survival is a constant factor, making this one of the great war films of recent years. I highly recommend this one.