A good movie. The story of four AWOL American soldiers in the aftermath of the Gulf War goes through laughs, tension, violence, and boredom. The story gives an interesting look into the strange world created by America's defeating Iraq's military but not deposing Saddam Hussein and fundamentally changing the country's internal politics.
The director and cinematographer have a fun time with the film, from mini-shots showing what's running through a character's head or what happens when a bullet hits someone's gut. They also have some surreal overexposed and time-altered shots to add to the mix.
The movie is also unusual as a war film because many of the soldiers are army reservists rather than professional soldiers, and their inexperience and foolishness adds to the tension and threat of violence.
That said, I did feel like the movie dragged through the middle. And although I cared what happened to the characters, I didn't really empathize with them. I think part of that was caused by their bad decisions, but also the fact that I didn't really single out one of them to be the main character the audience is supposed to follow (though I believe Mark Wahlberg's character would be the closest approximation).
The acting isn't anything special, and the movie gets overly sentimental at times, but I think the story and filmmaking are enough to make it worth a look.
And not to forget, the babe factor: Clooney and Wahlberg, including one shot of Mark in his Calvins.
The director and cinematographer have a fun time with the film, from mini-shots showing what's running through a character's head or what happens when a bullet hits someone's gut. They also have some surreal overexposed and time-altered shots to add to the mix.
The movie is also unusual as a war film because many of the soldiers are army reservists rather than professional soldiers, and their inexperience and foolishness adds to the tension and threat of violence.
That said, I did feel like the movie dragged through the middle. And although I cared what happened to the characters, I didn't really empathize with them. I think part of that was caused by their bad decisions, but also the fact that I didn't really single out one of them to be the main character the audience is supposed to follow (though I believe Mark Wahlberg's character would be the closest approximation).
The acting isn't anything special, and the movie gets overly sentimental at times, but I think the story and filmmaking are enough to make it worth a look.
And not to forget, the babe factor: Clooney and Wahlberg, including one shot of Mark in his Calvins.