Films are not just a reflection of our society. They are a mode of communication that also provides direction on how the population should think about itself.

Regarding the War in Iraq, Hollywood has broken things down into two distinct camps.

1) Prior to The Surge, American Soldiers were ruthless, torturing barbarians unleashed by a corrupt and brutal Government (search for the film Redacted for the best example of this line of thinking).

2) Following The Surge in 2007, Hollywood couldn't portray soldiers as negatively since we were "winning" and the death toll was declining. Film makers quickly switched to presenting American vets returning from the battlefield. These veterans are all shown as despondent, confused, probable substance abusers and potential psychopaths. (such as In the Valley of Elah (2007) & The Torturer (2008)) No one escapes Iraq without PTSD.

While PTSD certainly exists and soldiers have come back with all manner of difficult problems to overcome, Hollywood seems compelled to only show the ugly side of their service. No films show heroic deeds. No films showing the men and women of valor doing their duty. Certainly no films showing the brutal nature of the enemy they were facing or the obscene and violent culture our service people were forced to confront.

Hollywood spent the first few years of the war undermining the troops. The war turns and things get better - do they go to spending their resources portraying soldiers as heroes who have served with honor? Nope. Since 2007 we have had a continual flow of messed-up, used-up, potential psychos/drunks suffering like rape victims with crew-cuts.

This film shows Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) who has just returned from IraqMontgomery suffers from the injuries he obtain from a IED and is simply waiting for his enlistment to run out. He is put to work on a Casualty Notification Team, even though he has no experience telling people their family member is dead. He is teamed with the more experienced Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson). Stone is, of course, a former drunk.

Montgomery falls for one of the widows, Olivia Pitterson (Samantha Morton). The widow Pitterson. Pitterson. Pitterson = pity = sympathy. Heck, why not just name the character Olive Branch and call it a day?

In short, they're all screwed up. Everyone's moral compass is broken. It's all misery and despondency back home.

The film itself is not half bad. There's good performances by Foster and Harrelson and they make for an interesting pairing. The issue here is that the film is thick with self-importance. Every moment seems loaded with a "this is heavy stuff" vibe that simply kills the production. Instead of simply being dramatic, the film want you to know its being dramatic and overplays its hand.

The other issue is that this is just another in the line of films that is essentially a slap in the face of our returning vets. If film makers would have spent any time at all presenting the war outside of an Abu Ghraib-esque light, movies like these would be easier to swallow. Given the string of Iraq War movies and what they are saying about our troops? This seems to be just another lump of agitprop against the military.



Related Reviews:
Ben Foster movies
30 Days of Night (2007)
3:10 to Yuma (2007)


Other Critic's Reviews:
Christianity Today
Meet in the Lobby



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Labels: Ben Foster, film, Jena Malone, movie review, Samantha Morton, Steve Buscemi, Woody Harrelson