Category Archives: War

2014, Action Film, Based on a Book, Based on true facts, Biographical, Bloody scenes, Crude Talk, Iraq War, Love Story, Military, Navy Seals, Suspense, True Story, Violent, War, War Veterans

American Sniper (2014)

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From NetFlix:

Based on his memoir of the same name, this military biopic centers on legendary sniper Chris Kyle, who amassed a record number of kills on the battlefield during his 10-year career as a Navy SEAL.

Certainly each battle episode was exciting. But that is more or less the content of the film, i.e. many harrowing battle scenes. Chris Kyle’s insistence on going back for 4 tours (1000 days) caused his wife much unhappiness. In the film when he finally comes home, his rehab is made to look easy because he dedicates himself to helping other veterans. It could not have been that easy. Toward the end of the film he is murdered by a veteran he was trying to help, although we do not see that murder. As the screen credits go by we see the actual photos of the funeral held in a stadium with much pomp and ceremony. In fact, Bradley Cooper looks quite like the real Chris Kyle. Compare the Bradley Cooper of “Silver Linings Playbook” with the Bradley Cooper in this film, my guess is that he gained quite of bit of muscle for the role.

In the Wikipedia article, Bradley Cooper is quoted as saying:

“We looked at hopefully igniting attention about the lack of care that goes to vets. Discussion that has nothing to do with vets or what we did or did not do, every conversation in those terms is moving farther and farther from what our soldiers go through, and the fact that 22 veterans commit suicide each day.” Cooper said that an increasing number of soldiers are returning from conflict psychologically damaged, only to be more or less discarded.

2014, Asperger's Syndrome, Based on true facts, Biographical, British, Bullying, Computer geeks, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Dysfunctional Lives, Flirting, Gay theme, Homophobia, Military, Spy Theme, Suicide, Suspense, War, WWII

The Imitation Game (2014)

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From NetFlix:

Chronicling mathematical wizard Alan Turing’s key role in Britain’s successful effort to crack Germany’s Enigma code during World War II, this historical biopic also recounts how his groundbreaking work helped launch the computer age.

War is complicated business involving heroism, boring minutiae, and a great deal of good or bad luck. Imagine the daily grind of trying to break Germany’s Enigma code, made even more difficult by the clash of egos and arrogant military personnel. Add to that Alan Turing’s Asberger-Syndrome-like personality.

Only a gifted actor like Benedict Cumberbatch could undertake the role of Alan Turing so successfully. Of course, he often plays bizarre characters such as his TV role as Sherlock Holmes.

Keira Knightley is the perfect accompaniment to Turing’s idiosyncrasies. But be sure to read the Wikipedia article that clarifies Turing’s relation to the code breaker Joan Clarke.

As a faithful viewer of “Downton Abbey” I was happy to see Allen Leech in the role of John Cairncross. His place in the plot shows the precarious position of homosexuals in the British society of those times. Blackmail was a serious possibility.

Without further ado, I can only say DO NOT MISS!

2014, Acceptable for children, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Action Film, Action Hero, Clever Plot, Corny at times, Good digital effects, Mayhem, Military, Nasty Aliens, Violent, War

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

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From Netflix:

As Earth fights an alien invasion, Lt. Col. Bill Cage is killed in action, and a time loop forces him to continually relive his last day. With each iteration, Cage’s skill grows, as does his understanding of the enemy and how it operates.

Are you ready for 113 minutes of Tom Cruise fighting invading aliens? Those 113 minutes might seem long because he keeps getting killed and then repeating his life from his entry into the war against the aliens. He does this at least 300 times. But fear not, only the first rebirth seems repetitious and the film moves briskly, albeit with some unexpected failures along the way. Needless to say this is a violent film consisting mostly of shooting aliens with really big machine guns.

Cruise’s character Cage is accompanied by another re-liver Rita (played by Emily Blunt of “The Devil Wears Prada” fame). Don’t expect a great love affair from old stone face. In all fairness this is Cruise’s kind of film: lots of action, no need to emote.

Acceptable for children who can take the violence. Clever eye candy suitable for an idle moment.

2014, Based on true facts, British, Could Be Hard To Watch, DO NOT MISS, Human spirit, Japanese WWII Behavior, Military, Psychological Drama, PTSD, Revenge, Sadism, Torture, War

The Railway Man (2014)

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From Netflix:

Decades after his brutal captivity under the Japanese during World War II, Eric Lomax still has nightmares about the ordeal. But when he unexpectedly meets and falls for Patti, a bizarre coincidence brings his past back into focus.

Harrowing is the first word that comes to mind. My initial reaction was either that war makes beasts of men or that the Japanese are genetic sadists. But in seeing the torture sessions I was reminded that:

In 1898 President McKinley fell to his knees in the White House and had a revelation that he should Christianize the Filipinos (most of whom were already Catholic). McKinley did not know where the Philippines were located. In 1899 American soldiers landed in waves in Manila. Their letters to home said that they had come “to blow every nigger to nigger heaven”. Among American torture methods the most notorious was the “water cure” in which sections of bamboo were forced down the throats of Filipino prisoners and then used to fill the prisoner’s stomachs with dirty water until they swelled in torment. America soldiers would then jump on the prisoner’s stomach to force the water out.

[Material comes from Chapter 2 “Bound for Goo-Goo Land” of the book “Overthrow” by Stephen Kinzer. Henry Holt 2006]

Is the CIA’s water boarding torture similar? “President” Cheney says that water boarding is NOT torture. Tell that to Eric Lomax, the true life hero in this film.

Colin Firth delivers an important role in his career. Nicole Kidman is a beautiful, mature actor. Good directing keeps the film from being over sentimental.

If there is a message, it is one of the final lines “The hating has to stop somewhere.”

Be sure to stay for the explanatory lines just before the final credits.

If you can stand to watch, DO NOT MISS!

2013, Action Film, Afghanistan, Based on true facts, Bloody scenes, Could Be Hard To Watch, Crude Talk, Ethical struggles, Grim, Gritty, Human spirit, Military, Navy, Navy SEALs, Suspense, Thought provoking, True Story, Violent, War

Lone Survivor (2013)

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From NetFlix:

Mark Wahlberg stars as Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell in this action-drama based on an ill-fated real-life mission to bring down a Taliban boss. The stakes get even higher when Luttrell and his unit are ambushed in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan.

Photography in this film is very explicitly bloody and violent. Plot is simple: SEALs train hard; SEAL mission ambushed and all killed but Marcus Luttrell; Luttrell reaches Pashtun village which protects him; Helicopters arrive to rescue Luttrell.

As usual the devil is in the details. Whatever your feelings about the war in Afghanistan, you have to admire the courage and dedication of these SEALs.

For me the most notable scene was the moral debate about what to do with villagers tending their goats. Sadly their moral decision sealed their fate.

Be sure to watch till the very end so that you can see the slide show of the actual men and their families. Also there Is some explanation about why the villagers helped Luttrell.

Not easy to watch!

2014, Action Film, Action Hero, Ancient Greece, Based on true facts, Explicit sex, Mayhem, Mediocre, Mixed Martial Arts, Navy, Nudity, Rape, Revenge, Violent, War

300: Rise of an Empire (2014)

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From Netflix:

Rodrigo Santoro is back leading the Persian forces in their invasion of Greece as mortal-turned-god Xerxes. Determined to thwart him is Greek general Themistokles, who takes to the sea in his quest to unite his country.

If you liked the film “300”, you will like this very similar film. Gerard Butler has been replaced by Sullivan Stapleton. Needless to say, the violence bar was raised considerably. (Is Hollywood having a violence competition ?)

Lena Heydey (Cersei Lannister of “Game of Thrones”) plays the Spartan Queen Gorgo.

If nothing else, you might want to appreciate the importance of the battle of Salamis.

Numb your brain and watch ships crashing into one another, Themistokles attempting rough sex with Artimesia, and lots and lots of blood splatter. Or watch something intelligent.

2013, Alcoholism, American Indian culture, Based on a Book, Based on true facts, Catholic culture, Dysfunctional Lives, Explicit sexual discussion, Love Story, Mental Illness, Psychiatrists, Psychological Drama, Quiet, Slow, Talking Heads, True Story, Unusual, War

Jimmy P. (2013)

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From Netflix:

Returning home from World War II, Blackfoot Native American Jimmy Picard suffers from a host of psychosomatic symptoms. In this drama based on a true story, he bonds with psychoanalyst Georges Devereux as the two explore his psyche for causes.

From Wikipedia:

Jimmy P. stars Benicio del Toro as the titular character, Jimmy Picard, a Blackfoot Indian who has returned from war with debilitating symptoms. Mathieu Amalric, who has appeared in most of Arnaud Desplechin’s films, plays George Devereux, a French doctor of Hungarian Jewish background, who specializes in ethnology and psycho analysis. Jimmy P. was shot in Michigan and Montana, and is primarily based on a book by George Devereux , “Reality and dream: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian” (New York: International Univ. Press, 1951). The film is about some of the pioneering days of psychoanalysis.

Because this is basically a psychological talking-heads film, not everyone would find this story interesting. Except for some sad violence involving mentally ill patients, there is no action.

Assumedly Benicio del Toro’s first language might have been Spanish because he was born in Puerto Rico as the son of two Spanish lawyers. In this film he speaks in a slow, well articulated manner that presumably a Blackfoot Indian would use in speaking English. If you read del Toro’s full biography in IMDB, you might discover some films worth watching.

Mathieu Amalric is no great actor, but he delivers a believable performance.

For me seeing Gina McKee as Amalric’s “lover” was a nice surprise. Everytime I see her I remember her performance as Irene Forsyte in the British TV series “The Forsyte Saga”. Probably her portion of this film could have been entirely omitted without affecting the intent of the story.

Language fans will enjoy the discussion of Amerian Indian languages.

Not for everyone, but I was fascinated.

2014, Acceptable for children, Art Treasures, Based on true facts, Corny at times, Docudrama, Military, Nazis, Suspense, War

The Monuments Men (2014)

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From Netflix:

In a race against time, a crew of art historians and museum curators unite to recover renowned works of art stolen by Nazis before Hitler destroys them. Written, directed and starring George Clooney.

As you can read in the Wikipedia article, the critics can boo and the historians can tsk-tsk, but that did not stop Kathy and me from enjoying this film.

At the very least the film made me appreciate that all those art works were worth the danger, the lost lives, and the effort. You and I may be forgotten but for a while at least our civilization is recorded in part in those pieces of art. According to another Wikipedia article, we have art works dating from the Paleolithic period (25 000-8000 BCE). Do you think the world should forget Hitler?

Hats off to George Clooney for telling a good story. There were even moments of suspense, for example, racing to retrieve the Ghent altar piece and Michelangelo’s Madonna before the Russians could steal them.

For awhile I did not recognize Cate Blanchette cleverly disguised as an art librarian and French Resistance fighter. But you will probably recognize Matt Damon, Bill Murray, and John Goodman.

If you are up for a not very violent and just a bit corny story about art works, you might enjoy this film based on true events (but DO check that Wikipedia article for fact fanatics.)

2014, Based on true facts, Basically Sad, Book Review, Crude Talk, Disturbing Image, Explicit sexual discussion, Military, PTSD, Torture, Violent, War, War Veterans

Redeployment (2014)

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From GoodReads:

Phil Klay’s Redeployment takes readers to the frontlines of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, asking us to understand what happened there, and what happened to the soldiers who returned. Interwoven with themes of brutality and faith, guilt and fear, helplessness and survival, the characters in these stories struggle to make meaning out of chaos.

From Phil Klay’s blog:


Phil Klay is a graduate of Dartmouth College and a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. He served in Iraq’s Anbar Province from January 2007 to February 2008 as a Public Affairs Officer. After being discharged he went to Hunter College and received an MFA. His story “Redeployment” was originally published in Granta and is included in Fire and Forget: Short Stories from the Long War. His writing has also appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, the New York Daily News, Tin House, and The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2012.

When I started reading “Redeployment” I was horrified at the language and writing style which reminded me of a C-student in a slow track in high school. But the story itself is tragically interesting. After reading more chapters I realized that each chapter is written in the voice of some particular character. Here are some examples of some chapters:

  • REDEPLOYMENT: Told by an uneducated young man who volunteered.
  • FRAGO: Description of a house raid.
  • AFTER ACTION REPORT: Timhead’s first kill is a young boy and he suffers a lot of anguish.
  • BODIES: Lonely Marine at home visits his former girlfriend.
  • OIF: An unreadable satire featuring the military alphabet soup of acronyms.
  • MONEY AS A WEAPONS SYSTEM: American bureaucrat in Iraq eventually learns the impossibility of getting anything done.
  • IN VIETNAME THEY HAD WHORES: Frank discussion of the sexual practices of military personnel.
  • PRAYER IN THE FURNACE: Military chaplain gives his side of the picture.

So far the above chapters cover about half the book and the list goes on.

“Redeployment” may be worth your time for the content rather than the several styles.

But the summary remains the usual: War is hell and destroys soldiers, especially the ones who physically survive.

Based on true facts, Black History, Drama, Ethical struggles, Father-son relations, Human spirit, Optimistic, Political statement, Race Relations, Slavery, Thought provoking, True Story, Vietnam, Violent, War

Lee Daniel’s The Butler (2013)

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From Netflix;

Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker delivers a powerful performance as Cecil Gaines, who served as the White House butler under eight presidents. His three decades of service unfold against a backdrop of unparalleled change in American history.

By combining the history of the civil rights movement with the life of a particular family, that of the butler Cecil Gaines, you can feel the impact of the events much more personally.

All the black actors, including Oprah Winfrey, do a fine job, while the white presidents were merely acceptable. Special mention to Jim Gleason in his small role as R.D. Warner with his pitch-perfect portrayal of a nasty, arrogant, dismissive and probably racist White House staff manager. Similarly the murderous white Southern plantation son was equally hate inspiring.

More need not be said about a historical drama that really nails it! DO NOT MISS!