The Messenger is better than The Hurt Locker. Both films express common themes, such as the mental state of army personnel – during and after their deployment – and how people react differently to stressful situations. The films also introduce themselves slowly, using staccato rhythm of individual missions and assignments before reverting to a more traditional Hollywood storyline arc. Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery returns from Iraq after suffering an eye injury. He is assigned to the “Angels of Death” squadron, led by Captain Tony Stone, which is tasked with informing the next of kin after a casualty. Initial encounters with …
The Men Who Stare at Goats
The Men Who Stare at Goats is an idiotic film. Yet it is one of the most entertaining experiences that I have had at the movies in several months. There may be scenes that border upon absurdity – if not completely embracing the concept – but they suit the theme of the film. Also, is a story about a Psychic unit in the United States Army more absurd than what has actually happened in Iraq? Two U.S. Army contracts open fire on each other spontaneously, injuring a dozen Iraqis. Does this truly differ from how the war has unfolded? Massive collateral …
The Hurt Locker
The Hurt Locker is incredibly tense and engrossing for the first hour and a half. Visually, the film is incredibly similar to Black Hawk Down in terms of technology and style. It seems as if there are a number of hand-held cameras that capture chaotic action with tight shots, pulling the viewer into the conflict zone. There are never any wide angle shots, because that would provide an overview of the situation and some degree of control. Unfortunately, one of the key messages of both films is that war offers no control and survival can be entirely arbitrary. Although both …
No End in Sight & Shake Hands with the Devil
No End in Sight, a documentary by Charles Ferguson analyzing the United States involvement in Iraq, was released to very little fanfare this past week. The only theatre in town screening the film was the Bloor Cinema on a Friday night. Ferguson sought to encompass the perspectives of the American decision-makers, tying them to the events that covered the first critical year of the Iraqi occupation in 2003. In many ways, U.S. choices made regarding the Iraq War paralleled British decisions in the Crimean War. In explaining how the entire war has been comprised of one fiasco following another, No …