Tommy-Lee Jones puts in a very captivating performance as usual in what I found to be a rather mediocre thriller full of ‘The War in Iraq’ morality.
The unbelievably grizzled Jones has had some rather decent films out recently, not least the stunning ‘No Country For Old Men’. But as far as I am concerned this is a rather weak effort as a film. The story of his son being murdered, in a hideous way, after coming back from Iraq allows him to explore some of the deeper emotions which he does with aplomb. The addition of Theron adds little to the mix other than the eye candy.
As for the story, as I touched on, it is rather a run of the mill mystery/thriller with the customary chase scenes and violence thrown in rather as an after thought. The parts that really ground on me were the ‘effects of war on the average Joe’ scenes. This has been done so many times before, and recently, that I think the film industry as a whole needs to stop pointing out to us that war destroys people and their lives. The obvious is the obvious and I can take a subtle pod in whichever direction the morality of the film wishes, but having it forced down my throat is tiresome. Susan Sarandon is also wasted here and seems to be cast to beef up the billing.
The actors do their jobs but this film was too much band wagon, not enough story for my tastes.
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Munch Me 