|
 Directed by :
Irwin Winkler
Writing credits (WGA) : Mark
Friedman (screenplay) , Mark Friedman
(story)
Tagline : Coming home is the real
battle
Runtime : USA:105 min
Awards : Nominated for Golden
Globe
Cast : Samuel L. Jackson as Will
Marsh , Jessica Biel as Vanessa Price ,
Brian Presley as Tommy Yates , Christina
Ricci as Sarah Schivino , 50 Cent as
Jamal Aiken (as Curtis Jackson) , Chad
Michael Murray as Jordan Owens , Joyce
M. Cameron as Grace Owens , Victoria
Rowell as Penelope Marsh
Review : Home of
the Brave starts out with promise as it
shows to good effect the chaos and
uncertainty inherent in "battling" in
current-day Iraq. Unfortunately, after
the action shifts from the deserts of
the Middle East to the relative calm of
the home front (specifically, Spokane,
Washington), it devolves into a morass
of melodramatic clichés. Not only is the
bulk of Home of the Brave preachy and
predictable, but it features some of the
worst dialogue to be found in any
non-horror film this year. There's no
doubt that director Irwin Winkler and
screenwriter Mark Friedman came to this
project with the best of intentions.
However, as the saying goes, "The road
to hell is paved with good intentions."
Sitting through Home of the Brave isn't
cinematic hell, but it's only a step up.
 In
modern-day Iraq, five soldiers have just
learned they're going home in two weeks.
Before the departure day arrives,
however, they are involved in an ambush
and firefight that have lasting
consequences for all of them. Vanessa
Price (Jessica Biel) is injured by an
IED. She loses a hand and is badly
burned. She is treated on the
battlefield by Dr. Will Marsh (Samuel L.
Jackson), who has stared down the barrel
of a gun in his own operating theater.
Marines Jamal Aiken (Curtis "50 Cent"
Jackson), Tommy Yates (Brian Presley),
and Jordan Owens (Chad Michael Murray)
go in search of the ambushers. Jamal
accidentally kills an innocent woman.
Tommy is shot in the leg. After
registering a kill, Jordan falls under a
hail of gunfire. He dies in Tommy's
arms.
Spokane, weeks later: none of the
survivors are coping. Vanessa ends a
relationship with a long-term boyfriend
and finds it nearly impossible to get by
using a prosthetic hand. Tommy is surly
and incommunicative; his only meaningful
conversations are with Jordan's mourning
girlfriend (Christina Ricci in a cameo).
Jamal has become angry and is on the
edge of going postal. Will has turned to
the bottle for solace and is working
hard to erect a barrier between himself
and his wife and children. These people,
who could function in Iraq, are unable
to deal with the business of survival
once they return to the real world.
 The
opening scenes in Iraq are effectively
presented. They use quick camera pans
and point-of-view shots to good effect.
Viewers can feel the tension and the
promise of violence in every frame
before chaos erupts, then Winkler takes
us into the heart of the battle. After
Iraq, however, the film isn't worth
watching. The "drama" is clichéd and
ineffective. Points are made with
sledgehammer subtlety. Preaching is the
order of the day. And the dialogue goes
from bad to worse. Not only don't real
people talk the way these characters do,
but the lines are so laughable that it's
amazing the actors could say them
without breaking into fits of
uncontrolled giggles.
The performances are uneven, but maybe
that's to be expected considering the
quality of the writing. Samuel L.
Jackson mixes understated, introspective
scenes with over-the-top buffoonery.
Jessica Biel, who is taking a stab at
becoming a serious actress, has high
points and low points, with her worst
moments being those that require big
displays of emotion. Brian Presley's
performance is less variable but no more
memorable. Curtis Jackson has less
screen time, but arguably does the most
consistent acting. His screen presence
is undeniable.
 For
anyone who has been away from home for a
time, especially those whose lives have
been spent in a war zone, a return to
"normalcy" requires a period of
adjustment. It's more difficult for some
than others. Had Home of the Brave
presented credible stories about
believable characters, it might have
been a powerful drama. Certainly, the
setup is in place for something
remarkable. Unfortunately, bad writing
and heavy-handed direction have taken
this movie in an unenviable direction.
The sad thing to behold in Home of the
Brave isn't the characters struggling to
regain control of their lives, but the
actors struggling to gain control of the
material. Considering its inherent
weaknesses, they, like unfortunate
movie-goers who elect to see the film,
have no chance.
MEDIA PARTNER
|
