Synopsis: Forced to play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse in the chaos of the Iraq war, an elite Army bomb squad unit must come together in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a deadly bomb.The only way I could see somebody being disappointed in this film is if they went in to it expected an all out action flick. That's not what this is. It's an intense, riveting movie about the Iraq war with plenty of action, but it's a character study of the effects of this war on people with some of the toughest assignments I can imagine.
This film is almost just a ride-along with a group of bomb techs and many of the scenes are so nerve-racking that you better be prepared for some nail biting. It's very well acted, well written and well directed, making the realism even that much more so. The use of hand-helds puts your right in the middle of the war, minus the risks. By the end my nerves were just shot. If you immerse yourself in this, you'll almost have to endure this film as much as you enjoy it.
I must say, I usually dump on a lot of movies the critics love. I prefer big, loud, dumb summer blockbuster types that the critics hate. I would rather see a film with G.I. Joe vs The Transformers before I'd sit through The Piano or Moulin Rogue. But... the critics have been slurping this steadily and I must say I agree with them. Really good movie.
8/10
