Home of the Brave

This film succeeds in certain areas. Winkler's direction is competent and well crafted. The entire film was shot in high definition video as opposed to film, which gave it a unique look and texture. This was especially effective during the section at the beginning of the film, which opened on our principals as soldiers in Iraq. While escorting a convoy of medical supplies, the soldiers find themselves ambushed by Iraqi militants. The high-def video evokes the feeling of documentary footage, which increases the authentic feel of the war scenes. After the attack, the surviving soldiers are sent home. The film follows several of the soldiers who all find the readjustment process difficult. The banner performance of the film comes from Samuel L. Jackson, a war doctor who finds himself becoming an insomniac alcoholic when he returns to his family. The erratic relationship he maintains with his anti-military son is a lynchpin throughout the film. The surprise of the film is the powerful performance of Jessica Biel, readjusting to civilian life after the loss of a hand. This robs her of her passion for athletics. It also renders her the feeling of an outsider to society. There is also a strong performance by Chad Michael Murray as a lonely discharged soldier. Rapper/actor 50 Cent was also okay, even if his role just involved a lot of yelling and flashing of pearly white teeth. The frequent use of short flashbacks of the war sequence from the beginning to showcase the character's mental state was an irritating filmic device. We saw the ambush — slow-motion reminders were not necessary. It did not give the audience the benefit of being able to remember the early events of the film. The deleted scenes were deleted with cause, however I enjoyed the commentary with director, producer, and writer is worth checking out. Nothing incredibly memorable here though.