Some people in the movie business make movies they don't have to be proud of. They may do it for the paycheck, because it's a fun movie, or sometimes even to poke a little fun at themselves. The best examples of these (Snakes on a Plane, Miss Congeniality, Jurassic Park, or the better part of William Shatner's career) are fun, lightweight popcorn flicks that are good quality escapist fare that nobody has to feel bad about.
But then movies come along like Home of the Brave. Not only don't the minds behind this have a movie to be proud of, they owe an apology to the people they're trying to portray. If the movie's about alien mutant dinosaurs from Pluto coming to steal our rabbits, then a lot can be forgiven. If the movie is about the challenges that soldiers face coming home from a very real war, a more careful hand is required. Sadly, those careful hands weren't involved in this project.
It's a pretty compelling premise, and there is a lot of talent in the cast. Samuel L. Jackson tones it down a bit and (in a rare occurrence) underplays his role a bit. I never saw him as one to embody the "slow boil." 50 cent, for the few scenes he's in, is strong. Jessica Biel will probably get panned for her performance, in much the same way Christina Ricci was in Monster, because her character was *supposed* to be awkward, out of place, and painful to watch. Despite the fact it may be faint praise, I'd say it's probably the best work of her career. Brian Presley shows that he's been wasting his time on soaps and TV for far too long.
That's where the niceties stop. All this talent in front of the camera is wasted by a bad script, a worse directing job, and a story that was just fundamentally a bad idea.
***SPOILERS BEGIN***
We'll ignore the number of scenes that were totally blown by horribly clichéd dialogue and worse direction. Let's focus on the theme of the movie -- all soldiers who come back from Iraq are mentally unstable time bombs who are unable to re-integrate into society, at least at first. The white ones eventually find their way, and the black ones go for their guns and resort to violence. I kid you not -- that really is what this movie is saying.
The total lack of attention to detail is splashed across the closing frames in a quote from Machiavelli. "Wars begin where you will, but they do not end where you please." Nice quote, but this is from the same guy who said "Before all else, be armed," "It is better to be feared than loved," and "the end justifies the means." It sounds like I'm making a petty point, but it's illustrative of the lack of depth that this movie has.
***SPOILERS END***
I know enough people who have been to Iraq and back (or who are still over there) to feel insulted on their behalf. A subject like this deserves to be treated with respect, and this movie just doesn't do it.
But then movies come along like Home of the Brave. Not only don't the minds behind this have a movie to be proud of, they owe an apology to the people they're trying to portray. If the movie's about alien mutant dinosaurs from Pluto coming to steal our rabbits, then a lot can be forgiven. If the movie is about the challenges that soldiers face coming home from a very real war, a more careful hand is required. Sadly, those careful hands weren't involved in this project.
It's a pretty compelling premise, and there is a lot of talent in the cast. Samuel L. Jackson tones it down a bit and (in a rare occurrence) underplays his role a bit. I never saw him as one to embody the "slow boil." 50 cent, for the few scenes he's in, is strong. Jessica Biel will probably get panned for her performance, in much the same way Christina Ricci was in Monster, because her character was *supposed* to be awkward, out of place, and painful to watch. Despite the fact it may be faint praise, I'd say it's probably the best work of her career. Brian Presley shows that he's been wasting his time on soaps and TV for far too long.
That's where the niceties stop. All this talent in front of the camera is wasted by a bad script, a worse directing job, and a story that was just fundamentally a bad idea.
***SPOILERS BEGIN***
We'll ignore the number of scenes that were totally blown by horribly clichéd dialogue and worse direction. Let's focus on the theme of the movie -- all soldiers who come back from Iraq are mentally unstable time bombs who are unable to re-integrate into society, at least at first. The white ones eventually find their way, and the black ones go for their guns and resort to violence. I kid you not -- that really is what this movie is saying.
The total lack of attention to detail is splashed across the closing frames in a quote from Machiavelli. "Wars begin where you will, but they do not end where you please." Nice quote, but this is from the same guy who said "Before all else, be armed," "It is better to be feared than loved," and "the end justifies the means." It sounds like I'm making a petty point, but it's illustrative of the lack of depth that this movie has.
***SPOILERS END***
I know enough people who have been to Iraq and back (or who are still over there) to feel insulted on their behalf. A subject like this deserves to be treated with respect, and this movie just doesn't do it.