PREMIERE.COM'S REVIEW (posted 12/15/06)

Irwin Winkler's Iraq War-themed drama Home of the Brave is movie at war with itself. In an attempt to honor the veterans of our Middle East misadventure, Winkler and screenwriter Mark Friedman wind up reducing their experiences to the stuff of bad TV movies. Home of the Brave is made even more irrelevant by the fact that it's being released on the heels of two excellent documentaries — The War Tapes and The Ground Truth — that feature actual veterans sharing their stories rather than veterans of The WB Network like Chad Michael Murray and Jessica Biel parading around in military garb.

Is it too soon for a movie about the Iraq war? Talk back.

Things start out promisingly enough, with a harrowing sequence set in the streets of Al Hayy, Iraq where a military convoy is delivering medical supplies to a local clinic. Along for the ride are unit doctor Will Marsh (Samuel L. Jackson), soldier and single mom Vanessa Price (Biel) and a trio of brash recruits Jordan, Tommy and Jamal (played by Murray, Brian Presley and Curtis "Don't Call Me Fiddy" Jackson, respectively). When Iraqi snipers open fire from a second-story window, all hell breaks loose. A land mine totals Vanessa's car and she loses her right hand as a part of the explosion. Meanwhile, Jordan, Jamal and Tommy pursue the snipers through Al Hayy, eventually ending up in the town's graveyard, where Jordan is gunned down as his buddies look on. Terrifically shot by Winkler's cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts and edited by Clayton Halsey, this ten-minute sequence captures some of the chaos and terror that soldiers must feel in a war zone.

At this point, the story shifts back stateside to Seattle and Home of the Brave begins its long march into mediocrity. As the survivors of that mission return home, they deal with their experiences overseas in different ways. Will starts to drink heavily, a one handed Vanessa distances herself from her friends and family, Tommy shifts aimlessly from job to job and Jamal grows increasingly unhinged. They also engage in a number of stilted, "important" conversations, like the scene where Vanessa complains to Tommy about all "these people driving these gas-guzzling SUVs, getting their Frappuccinos from Starbucks." The movie reaches its nadir when an inebriated Will shows up for Thanksgiving dinner with three immigrant workers in tow and embarks on a lengthy screed about the things he's "thankful" for before grabbing his sullen son — an Iraq War protestor — and ripping the lip ring out of his mouth.

I don't mean to belittle Winkler and Friedman for trying to tackle this divisive issue or the experiences of any actual veterans that they may have interviewed for the film. But their noble intentions are also the reason why Home of the Brave is such a resounding failure. The filmmakers seem wary of delving too deeply into the physical and emotional trauma that may follow soldiers home from the frontlines. They prefer their scars skin deep and easily healed with a hug or a golden-tinged flashback. And forget about the film offering a political point of view — none of the war's architects are mentioned and the characters don't even seem curious about why they're over there in the first place. By straining to make a respectful war film for everyone, Winkler and Friedman have wound up with a toothless picture that won't satisfy anyone.

— Ethan Alter