nice try joel, keep at it though

Rating: Null/10 (8 November 2001)

SPOiLERS iN HERE
i went into this one with no plot knowledge save for i was about to see a war film, aware it was the latest offering from joel schumacher (whom i have followed since the lost boys)and that it marked a departure from said directors usual style (it was considered film festival material in this country). After seeing flawless i was interested in where joel was going. yep it had hand held camera (albeit extremely pristine),
yep the scene setting moments consisting of master shots and camera surveys of the proto-marines at work and play where engaging and smacked of reportage (for those of you like me who get kicks from such things), but in contrast the dramatics were handled with all the subtlety displayed in batman and robin.
the character establishing monologues from each of the misfits eventually serviced by the virgil-like bozz were trite and gave the second section of the film (up to the 1hr mark) a paint by numbers feel. The one the ends with reflection on how "a single moon shines down on us all" was, frankly, appalling written, and farell's reaction to it was one of his weakest moments- where was the director then? i went into hysterical laughter.
despite the actors giving it their all, none of them, magnetic or not, were accomplished enough to transform such ponderous dialogue from speechification hell, something which went at odds with the films attempt to immerse the viewer doco-style. i like their acting efforts heaps but the characterisations were very one dimensional and unambiguous, not much for them to work with. the archetypes were overfamiliar and lacked the distortions and trappings i associate with individuals/people.
i found the plotting and writing at odds with the aesthetic also; something which kept the film from engaging me properly (to my satisfaction. the story unfolded with great, and i mean great predictability and followed an extremely standard dramatic course charted in most hollywood genre film - right down to the plateau on queue at the hour mark (time out for the marines when bozz grants them a leave of absence)and the resurfacing of antagonistic factors (predicted by the middle third) in the half hour skid to the climax.
i enjoyed this, though it may not sound like it, hell it looked beautiful - just don't expect anything like the critical response indicates, there not a lot new here besides the marriage of a particular shooting style/visual aesthetic with the same kind of overworked storytelling we've had shoved down our throats by hollywood for over half a century.