Plot: This film follows an EOD team in Iraq during a year tour. EOD stands for Explosive Ordinance Disposal. These are the guys that handle bomb threats and IEDs (improvised explosive device).
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Guy Pearce, and Ralph Feinnes
Review: Harrowing and at times hard to watch, this film very accurately portrays a tour in Iraq; however the lead character, who seemed to follow the same rule book as Dr.House, recklessly puts himself in immediate danger through out the entire film as if he's indestructible. His character seemed larger then life, and therefore, inaccurate. A pet peeve of my husband (an Iraq vet) is when films portray soldiers as superheroes. That is the only flaw in this movie. Everything else about this movie, if you can stomach the carnage, is brilliant. The director did things with a camera I've never seen before in a war film, choosing to follow bullet shells falling to the ground rather than going the simple direct route of whatever target they are after, is just one example. These choices are never pretentious. They are never different for different sake, and they all serve the film and it's message. This film starts seemingly straight forward but then gradually reveals itself to actually be a character study of one man with an extraordinary job. Brilliant, dark, and directed by a woman.
***1/2 Stars
You really liked that camera shot didn't u?
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