Home of the Brave

When United 93 and World Trade Center opened earlier this year, many complained that it was too early to be releasing films concerning 9/11. Despite the fact that this was a full five years after the WTC tragedy. So, as 2006 draws to a close, another film is released that tackles an issue even fresher in our memories – the Iraq war.

For all those who considered the 9/11 films insensitive, there will surely be twice as much anger about a movie revolving around a conflict which is still raging on. As 133,000 troops are still fighting, are Americans really ready to watch their exploits glossed over for the big screen?

Home of the Brave starts out in Iraq as a National Guard unit discover their hard times are coming to an end and they are all being sent home. They just have one last mission to complete. A mission that goes horribly wrong and leaves them all wounded, physically and emotionally.

The film then follows these damaged characters as they try to assimilate themselves back into everyday life. There's the medic Will (Samuel L Jackson) who struggles when dealing with his family and keeps his experiences locked up. There's the driver Vanessa (Jessica Biel) who's injury prevents her from continuing with her normal life. Finally there are two soldiers Tommy (Brian Presley) and Jamal (Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson) who both battle with their demons and the loss of their friend.

Somewhere, probably in the future, there's a great movie to be made about Iraq. Home of the Brave isn't it. It feels like less of a movie and more like a horrendously overdone after-school special. Look, here's the scene where Jessica Biel tries to use her plastic hand to pick up a football. Here, let's see what happens when Samuel L Jackson has too much to drink at thanksgiving. Hang on, I take back my previous statement. Showing this in a classroom implies that something could be learnt from this misguided piece of trash. Nothing is revealed here that we don't already know. In fact, I'm still scratching my head to work out what the point of it all was.

It's as crass and dumb as you'd expect for a war movie starring 50 Cent. It's actually so bad that it would be funny, if it weren't for the gravity of the situation that's being portrayed. The film begins with some battle scenes out in Iraq. The kind of battle scenes where someone gets shot and everyone rushes over in slow-motion shouting 'NOOOOOOOOOO.' It's like watching CNN produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.

We then follow the thinly drawn excuses for characters back home and watch as they have misty flashbacks and stare into the distance. Samuel L Jackson, who seems to desperately need another pay packet despite his alarmingly prolific career, gives a dignified performance for the

majority of the film although slips into classic drunken acting near the end. His family dynamic is exactly what you would expect it would be, without having ever seen a second of the film. His wife wants to know more about what happened although he's too damaged to tell her while his rebellious son hates his dad for going off to war. It's all as arbitrary and dull as it sounds, trust me.

Brian Presley, previously best known for soap opera acting, is unsurprisingly acting at the level that someone in a soap opera would. His 'really really sad' face involves him clenching his jaw and pouting for a while. He's given far too much screen time despite the fact that he fails to convince on every possible level. Even as a functioning human being, resembling more of a Ken doll, with limited phrases. Jessica Biel tries admirably with her character but fumbles quickly as the script overtakes her. A major highlight includes the scene where the now one-handed Biel tells her boyfriend she wants him to leave. He then shares the immortal line, 'I guess it only takes one hand to push someone away'. An unintentional belly laugh emerges.

Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson is every bit as bad as one would expect. His lines are mostly fumbled and his dramatic climax is so poorly developed that it barely even registers. Focusing on the troubled souls of soldiers is an interesting idea for a movie but written by first-time writer Mark Friedman, it's a movie which never once achieves a single powerful moment. The budget was obviously predominantly put into the opening battle scenes so the rest of the film bears all of the production values of a Lifetime movie, and all of the corniness.

When it comes to politics, the film claims to be apolitical. There are brief attempts to address the issue, such as when Jackson's son wears a t-shirt saying 'Buck Fush' or when Christina Ricci (in a thankless cameo) 'learns' that not all Iraqis hate Americans, but thankfully they're pretty much sidelined. A braver stance would have been preferable but at least there's not too much republicanism shining through. Director Irwin Winkler has a famed history as an Oscar winning producer but like most of the other films he has directed, Home of the Brave falls embarrassingly flat on it's well-intentioned face. A gut-bustingly funny campaign has been launched by the studio to push it for next year's Oscar ceremony which suggests an inexplicable lack of judgment from anyone involved with the picture.

Rushed out to 'cash in' on the ongoing crisis, this is as poorly made and laughably written as any film you'll see this year. If war is hell then a special place there is being reserved for Home of the Brave.

Movie Grade: F

Synopsis:

From Academy Award-winner Irwin Winkler comes Home of the

Brave, the story of four American soldiers nearing the end of their tours of duty in Iraq. Shortly after learning their unit will soon return home, they are sent on one final humanitarian mission to bring medical supplies to a remote Iraqi village.

The unit is ambushed and takes heavy losses. The surviving troops suffer both physical and psychological injuries. Now, as they return to the United States, four soldiers must face memories of the past as they look towards the future and return to civilian life.

These are their stories. Home of the Brave is about hope and courage and the impact of war on both the individuals who fight it and the people close to them.