Not light entertainment.

Rating: 8/10 (17 July 2009)

If you enjoy light entertainment or want something to uplift your spirits, then AVOID this movie. Disarming live unexploded bombs in combat situations is a dangerous, dirty and harrowing experience that calls for iron discipline, nerves of steel and a bravery that is practically limitless, a point that this movie successfully drives home. The problem is that the main soldier assigned to do this risky job in the movie is a loose cannon, someone who is reckless, puts his unit at risk, doesn't follow orders and therefore is someone that the military would not want diffusing bombs. This does not mean that this movie is not good or compelling, because it does offer a riveting story, but it must be watched with the understanding that the military does not allow for mavericks who knowingly place their entire unit at risk, like the main character does in this movie. For instance, if a soldier deliberately cuts himself off from communication with his platoon leader, that soldier would soon hear about it, loud and clear. Also, the action is not placed within a larger context, that is, the action takes place in Iraq but that's about all the audience is told, which may cause one to wonder why soldiers are there in the first place. This would be like watching the B-25s dropping their bombs in Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo without knowing why the the United States was at war with Japan or watching Saving Private Ryan without knowing why American soldiers were storming the beach at Normandy. Nevertheless the movie does effectively convey the harrowing and dangerous nature of war and should be shown to persons who are contemplating joining the military.