The first 20 minutes of this film have masterpiece written all over them, unfortunately, that fire peters out quite constantly until the film comes to a near flat lining ending. Too bad too, because as far as military films go, this one has a brave unique edge and perspective. It’s the tale of a young marine (Gyllenhaal ) who’s enlistment didn’t exactly play out as he’d imagined it.

It’s preface hosts some profound poetic prose, “Once these hands have held a rifle, nothing will feel the same in their grasp, a woman … etc.” I’m sure I’m not remembering those lines accurately - my apologies for that, but you get the idea. This profundity is even reprised at the end of the picture. It’s a very good point, but I didn’t feel that the film stuck to it. Yes, the first 20 minutes accentuate the point, but then, just as their mission in Desert Storm seems muddy and unclear, so falls the aim of the film. There’s a moment where Jake Gyllenhaal is supposed to become a bit crazy. There’s a scene where he goes berserk and he even tells us he’s going crazy in the narration -- but I still didn’t buy it. The film just doesn’t sell it to us.

That’s all, great idea, great perspective, maybe a great book. But the film loses fire power and can’t sustain.

-- Book Contest --