This review was written for the theatrical release of "Home of the Brave".Going boldly where "The Best Years of Our Lives" and "Coming Home" have gone before, "Home of the Brave" examines the personal battles fought on the home front by returning war vets.
But while the Irwin Winkler film can take credit for being the first major feature to take on the plight of several American soldiers struggling to resume their lives back home after completing their tours of duty in Iraq, one hopes it isn't the last, given how dramatically inferior it is to its World War II and Vietnam-era predecessors.
Timeliness is all very well, but the significant subject matter cries out for a defter directorial touch and a deeper complexity in regard to the characters and performances (save for a valiant effort by Samuel L. Jackson) than what is provided by Mark Friedman's screenplay and the picture's young cast.
The end result might still be enough to provide fodder for newspaper and magazine articles, but it is not likely to attract much attention at movie theaters, especially at a time of year when paying audiences are searching for something a little more in keeping with the festive spirit.
Although the story is primarily set in Spokane, Wash., the action begins in Iraq (actually Morocco), where a National Guard unit has just received word that it is about to be demobilized.
Their understandably jubilant mood is cut short when they are ordered out on one last humanitarian mission. Things take a tragic turn when the troops find themselves caught in a bloody ambush that will take a physical and emotional toll on the survivors.
Among those having trouble readjusting to life on the domestic front are Jackson's Will Marsh, a medic who returns home to a wife, a son and a worsening drinking problem, and Jessica Biel's Vanessa Price, a teacher and single mom whose hand was claimed by an insurgent's bomb.
Then there is Tommy Yates (Brian Presley), a private who lost his best buddy Chad Michael Murray) during the attack, and Jamal Aiken (Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson), whose coping mechanism has seriously short-circuited, reaching a tragic point of no return.
Any film that includes a quote by Machiavelli ("Wars begin where you will, but they do not end where you please") is obviously coming from a purposeful place, but Winkler, who shares story credit with Friedman, fails to follow through with fully developed characters or compelling plot lines.
As if to compensate, the direction has little patience for subtleties or any of life's little ironies, mechanically switching the Iraq-flashback switch each time there is a personal crisis, or repeatedly showing Biel's prosthetic limb staring up at her from the bathroom counter, hammering home that alienating feeling of detachment.
Even though Samuel L. Jackson makes a concerted effort to lend his character -- the potentially most interesting of the grouping -- some welcome gravitas, he ultimately loses out to the encroaching melodrama.
On the technical front, the tight compositions by cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts using state-of-the-art high-def widescreen video cameras capture the desired immediacy, while the Sheryl Crow closing credits tune, the Sarah McLachlan-esque "Try Not to Remember", ultimately conveys the necessary understated emotional tone that went AWOL throughout the rest of the "Home of the Brave".
HOME OF THE BRAVE
MGM
A Winkler/Cowan production with Millennium Films
Credits:
Director: Irwin Winkler
Screenwriter: Mark Friedman
Story: Mark Friedman, Irwin Winkler
Producers: Irwin Winkler, Rob Cowan, George Furla, Avi Lerner
Executive producers: Randall Emmett, John Thompson, Boaz Davidson, Danny Dimbort, Trevor Short, Mick Flannigan
Director of photography: Tony Pierce-Roberts
Production designers: Jonathan McKinstry, Warren Alan Young
Editor: Clayton Halsey
Costume designer: Karyn Wagner
Cast:
Will Marsh: Samuel L. Jackson
Vanessa Price: Jessica Biel
Sarah Schivino: Christina Ricci
Jamal Aiken: Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson
Jordan Owens: Chad Michael Murray
Tommy Yates: Brian Presley
Running time -- 105 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
But while the Irwin Winkler film can take credit for being the first major feature to take on the plight of several American soldiers struggling to resume their lives back home after completing their tours of duty in Iraq, one hopes it isn't the last, given how dramatically inferior it is to its World War II and Vietnam-era predecessors.
Timeliness is all very well, but the significant subject matter cries out for a defter directorial touch and a deeper complexity in regard to the characters and performances (save for a valiant effort by Samuel L. Jackson) than what is provided by Mark Friedman's screenplay and the picture's young cast.
The end result might still be enough to provide fodder for newspaper and magazine articles, but it is not likely to attract much attention at movie theaters, especially at a time of year when paying audiences are searching for something a little more in keeping with the festive spirit.
Although the story is primarily set in Spokane, Wash., the action begins in Iraq (actually Morocco), where a National Guard unit has just received word that it is about to be demobilized.
Their understandably jubilant mood is cut short when they are ordered out on one last humanitarian mission. Things take a tragic turn when the troops find themselves caught in a bloody ambush that will take a physical and emotional toll on the survivors.
Among those having trouble readjusting to life on the domestic front are Jackson's Will Marsh, a medic who returns home to a wife, a son and a worsening drinking problem, and Jessica Biel's Vanessa Price, a teacher and single mom whose hand was claimed by an insurgent's bomb.
Then there is Tommy Yates (Brian Presley), a private who lost his best buddy Chad Michael Murray) during the attack, and Jamal Aiken (Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson), whose coping mechanism has seriously short-circuited, reaching a tragic point of no return.
Any film that includes a quote by Machiavelli ("Wars begin where you will, but they do not end where you please") is obviously coming from a purposeful place, but Winkler, who shares story credit with Friedman, fails to follow through with fully developed characters or compelling plot lines.
As if to compensate, the direction has little patience for subtleties or any of life's little ironies, mechanically switching the Iraq-flashback switch each time there is a personal crisis, or repeatedly showing Biel's prosthetic limb staring up at her from the bathroom counter, hammering home that alienating feeling of detachment.
Even though Samuel L. Jackson makes a concerted effort to lend his character -- the potentially most interesting of the grouping -- some welcome gravitas, he ultimately loses out to the encroaching melodrama.
On the technical front, the tight compositions by cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts using state-of-the-art high-def widescreen video cameras capture the desired immediacy, while the Sheryl Crow closing credits tune, the Sarah McLachlan-esque "Try Not to Remember", ultimately conveys the necessary understated emotional tone that went AWOL throughout the rest of the "Home of the Brave".
HOME OF THE BRAVE
MGM
A Winkler/Cowan production with Millennium Films
Credits:
Director: Irwin Winkler
Screenwriter: Mark Friedman
Story: Mark Friedman, Irwin Winkler
Producers: Irwin Winkler, Rob Cowan, George Furla, Avi Lerner
Executive producers: Randall Emmett, John Thompson, Boaz Davidson, Danny Dimbort, Trevor Short, Mick Flannigan
Director of photography: Tony Pierce-Roberts
Production designers: Jonathan McKinstry, Warren Alan Young
Editor: Clayton Halsey
Costume designer: Karyn Wagner
Cast:
Will Marsh: Samuel L. Jackson
Vanessa Price: Jessica Biel
Sarah Schivino: Christina Ricci
Jamal Aiken: Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson
Jordan Owens: Chad Michael Murray
Tommy Yates: Brian Presley
Running time -- 105 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 12/11/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Going boldly where The Best Years of Our Lives and Coming Home have gone before, Home of the Brave examines the personal battles fought on the home front by returning war vets.
But while the Irwin Winkler film can take credit for being the first major feature to take on the plight of several American soldiers struggling to resume their lives back home after completing their tours of duty in Iraq, one hopes it isn't the last, given how dramatically inferior it is to its World War II and Vietnam-era predecessors.
Timeliness is all very well, but the significant subject matter cries out for a defter directorial touch and a deeper complexity in regard to the characters and performances (save for a valiant effort by Samuel L. Jackson) than what is provided by Mark Friedman's screenplay and the picture's young cast.
The end result might still be enough to provide fodder for newspaper and magazine articles, but it is not likely to attract much attention at movie theaters, especially at a time of year when paying audiences are searching for something a little more in keeping with the festive spirit.
Although the story is primarily set in Spokane, Wash., the action begins in Iraq (actually Morocco), where a National Guard unit has just received word that it is about to be demobilized.
Their understandably jubilant mood is cut short when they are ordered out on one last humanitarian mission. Things take a tragic turn when the troops find themselves caught in a bloody ambush that will take a physical and emotional toll on the survivors.
Among those having trouble readjusting to life on the domestic front are Jackson's Will Marsh, a medic who returns home to a wife, a son and a worsening drinking problem, and Jessica Biel's Vanessa Price, a teacher and single mom whose hand was claimed by an insurgent's bomb.
Then there is Tommy Yates (Brian Presley), a private who lost his best buddy Chad Michael Murray) during the attack, and Jamal Aiken (Curtis 50 Cent Jackson), whose coping mechanism has seriously short-circuited, reaching a tragic point of no return.
Any film that includes a quote by Machiavelli ("Wars begin where you will, but they do not end where you please") is obviously coming from a purposeful place, but Winkler, who shares story credit with Friedman, fails to follow through with fully developed characters or compelling plot lines.
As if to compensate, the direction has little patience for subtleties or any of life's little ironies, mechanically switching the Iraq-flashback switch each time there is a personal crisis, or repeatedly showing Biel's prosthetic limb staring up at her from the bathroom counter, hammering home that alienating feeling of detachment.
Even though Samuel L. Jackson makes a concerted effort to lend his character -- the potentially most interesting of the grouping -- some welcome gravitas, he ultimately loses out to the encroaching melodrama.
On the technical front, the tight compositions by cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts using state-of-the-art high-def widescreen video cameras capture the desired immediacy, while the Sheryl Crow closing credits tune, the Sarah McLachlan-esque Try Not to Remember, ultimately conveys the necessary understated emotional tone that went AWOL throughout the rest of the Home of the Brave.
HOME OF THE BRAVE
MGM
A Winkler/Cowan production with Millennium Films
Credits:
Director: Irwin Winkler
Screenwriter: Mark Friedman
Story: Mark Friedman, Irwin Winkler
Producers: Irwin Winkler, Rob Cowan, George Furla, Avi Lerner
Executive producers: Randall Emmett, John Thompson, Boaz Davidson, Danny Dimbort, Trevor Short, Mick Flannigan
Director of photography: Tony Pierce-Roberts
Production designers: Jonathan McKinstry, Warren Alan Young
Editor: Clayton Halsey
Costume designer: Karyn Wagner
Cast:
Will Marsh: Samuel L. Jackson
Vanessa Price: Jessica Biel
Sarah Schivino: Christina Ricci
Jamal Aiken: Curtis 50 Cent Jackson
Jordan Owens: Chad Michael Murray
Tommy Yates: Brian Presley
Running time -- 105 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
But while the Irwin Winkler film can take credit for being the first major feature to take on the plight of several American soldiers struggling to resume their lives back home after completing their tours of duty in Iraq, one hopes it isn't the last, given how dramatically inferior it is to its World War II and Vietnam-era predecessors.
Timeliness is all very well, but the significant subject matter cries out for a defter directorial touch and a deeper complexity in regard to the characters and performances (save for a valiant effort by Samuel L. Jackson) than what is provided by Mark Friedman's screenplay and the picture's young cast.
The end result might still be enough to provide fodder for newspaper and magazine articles, but it is not likely to attract much attention at movie theaters, especially at a time of year when paying audiences are searching for something a little more in keeping with the festive spirit.
Although the story is primarily set in Spokane, Wash., the action begins in Iraq (actually Morocco), where a National Guard unit has just received word that it is about to be demobilized.
Their understandably jubilant mood is cut short when they are ordered out on one last humanitarian mission. Things take a tragic turn when the troops find themselves caught in a bloody ambush that will take a physical and emotional toll on the survivors.
Among those having trouble readjusting to life on the domestic front are Jackson's Will Marsh, a medic who returns home to a wife, a son and a worsening drinking problem, and Jessica Biel's Vanessa Price, a teacher and single mom whose hand was claimed by an insurgent's bomb.
Then there is Tommy Yates (Brian Presley), a private who lost his best buddy Chad Michael Murray) during the attack, and Jamal Aiken (Curtis 50 Cent Jackson), whose coping mechanism has seriously short-circuited, reaching a tragic point of no return.
Any film that includes a quote by Machiavelli ("Wars begin where you will, but they do not end where you please") is obviously coming from a purposeful place, but Winkler, who shares story credit with Friedman, fails to follow through with fully developed characters or compelling plot lines.
As if to compensate, the direction has little patience for subtleties or any of life's little ironies, mechanically switching the Iraq-flashback switch each time there is a personal crisis, or repeatedly showing Biel's prosthetic limb staring up at her from the bathroom counter, hammering home that alienating feeling of detachment.
Even though Samuel L. Jackson makes a concerted effort to lend his character -- the potentially most interesting of the grouping -- some welcome gravitas, he ultimately loses out to the encroaching melodrama.
On the technical front, the tight compositions by cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts using state-of-the-art high-def widescreen video cameras capture the desired immediacy, while the Sheryl Crow closing credits tune, the Sarah McLachlan-esque Try Not to Remember, ultimately conveys the necessary understated emotional tone that went AWOL throughout the rest of the Home of the Brave.
HOME OF THE BRAVE
MGM
A Winkler/Cowan production with Millennium Films
Credits:
Director: Irwin Winkler
Screenwriter: Mark Friedman
Story: Mark Friedman, Irwin Winkler
Producers: Irwin Winkler, Rob Cowan, George Furla, Avi Lerner
Executive producers: Randall Emmett, John Thompson, Boaz Davidson, Danny Dimbort, Trevor Short, Mick Flannigan
Director of photography: Tony Pierce-Roberts
Production designers: Jonathan McKinstry, Warren Alan Young
Editor: Clayton Halsey
Costume designer: Karyn Wagner
Cast:
Will Marsh: Samuel L. Jackson
Vanessa Price: Jessica Biel
Sarah Schivino: Christina Ricci
Jamal Aiken: Curtis 50 Cent Jackson
Jordan Owens: Chad Michael Murray
Tommy Yates: Brian Presley
Running time -- 105 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 12/11/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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