Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a Marine recruit who joins shortly before the war begins. He is subjected to nasty brutalism by his drill sergeant (all the more frustrating to him because his father served in Vietnam) and then packed off to his new platoon, which seem to be a bunch of sadists and bullies, led by Sergeant Sykes (Jamie Foxx) and the Gulf. When they get there, they find that the Iraqis aren’t waiting ready to attack them, and they spend their days playing American football dressed in their chemical warfare suits for the benefit of TV journalists and getting bored.

The sight of oil-rigs on fire brings home the environmental damage caused by the war, but audience members who are expecting a shoot-em-up style movie will be sorely disappointed. The lead performances are solid enough and William Broyle Jr’s script makes it clear that the conflict seemed to involve more impending fighting than actually engaging in combat with Iraqi troops, but one is often left waiting for something to happen and the result lacks the necessary drama. This is not as good as Mendes’ previous cinematic masterpiece, Road To Perdition, but he has still turned in a picture that is far better and more honest than many directors in Hollywood would have been able to produce.

(3/5)