This film met with critical acclaim from all respected circulars, regularly scoring 5 star results. I did approach with some expectation so don’t be surprised to find I wasn’t as enamoured as I’d hoped.

Regardless, a quality Iraq piece dismissing the token pretences of political righteousness in favour of a pleasing dramatisation of contrasting attitudes of soldiers who revel and shrink in equal measure in times of war and danger. Displaying the typical Amerikkaa!! gung ho mentality beautifully demonstrated by Watchmen’s ‘Comedian’, the adrenaline of intense danger is as powerful a toxin as any drug could be. Conversely we see the effects of war on those not suited to the environment. What follows is a pretty dramatic enactment of daily life in barracks. Most notable is the sniper section – not sure how realistic that was, but can certainly testify to the intensity of the scene!