As the father of a son currently serving in the US Army, I found this movie very hard to watch.  There were some glaring incongruities - the wrong uniforms, Woody Harrelson’s commander calling him Lieutenant when he was wearing Captain’s bars, little things like that - but those incongruities do not take away from the sheer force of the movie.  The emotions, the language, the comraderie even though they didn’t understand one another, all of these came together in a tour de force that grabs your gut and doesn’t let go.  My son constantly talks of his battle buddies and how he is never alone but always has someone to watch his back.  The SSG and the CPT have very different points of view but they work them out, just as they help each other through their personal difficulties and grow to respect one another.  The SSG is preparing to ETS (End Term of Service) and leave the Army.  The CPT has no where to go.  There are broken families, broken homes, then there is the horror of having to tell parents, wives, husbands that their loved one is dead.  Not “departed,” not “passed away,” but dead. They need to follow the book and the book is very specific.  The compassion they feel versus the stone cold front of professionalism is abattle both within themselves and between each other.  The way they cope with the reactions of the families was hard to watch.

This is not a pretty movie but there is a strong honesty that the actors portray that makes it much more real than say Hurt Locker, a movie that needed some serious editing.  I would urge people to see this movie to see the human side of the Army.  I found the scene where a chicken hawk talking head is on the radio a delightful incongruity.  If you think war is important and we need to send the boys and girls overseas to protect America, this movie points out the importance of making sure there is a method to “bring them back” to their home world with out jarring them beyond endurance or alcohol.  If you think the war is wrong and that our troops need to come back home, you will find fodder for your beliefs.

I recommend this movie but be prepared to feel strong emotional pulls at your heart and your gut.