robynsegg3
This movie has a lot of faults. The synopsis is a loss leader...the one thing this movie isn't is that. Didn't watch the movie till the very, very end? If you gave up on this movie early, you will have missed that the movie is supposed to be like being inside the head of someone with serious PTSD. There are some random things added that I think add nothing to the topic except to make it murkier...why would the wife immediately start cheating with the best friend? Were they just trying to heap angst on the protagonist, like -just- PTSD isn't enough? I have had friends with PTSD, that by itself is just fine at screwing them up! It just distracts from the message, makes this movie just confused and disappointing.
jstnratliff
The critics went entirely too hard on this movie. It was a good movie. Shia, Kate, Gary, Jai and Charlie all did fantastic. The cinematography was great. As a movie critic, do you get so bogged down with certain details that you forget the human aspect? Do you forget emotion? What are you focused on? The plot was good. The execution was great. Don't be so hard to please, that you forget how to enjoy yourself. Watch the movie, and think for yourselves. Don't listen to the critics.
Suzanne Licht
A well-crafted script, interweaving time-lines, following a marine through family exchanges, training, combat, debriefing results in an iconic, touching and classic film. I was very disappointed that this film was not hailed as a critical or popular success, and wonder if the studio publicized it adequately. Shia LaBeouf's world-class performance was nuanced, masterful and merited awards and accolades. His co-star Kate Mara was natural and authentic, and Charlie Shotwell, who played their young son, was very talented and moving. Gary Oldman's performance was also compelling. Rarely has a film that I felt was so classic been so little appreciated. Not only was there a very personal story here, but a more universal narrative resulting in sensitivity training in the horrors of war and the number of veterans suffering from PTSD. It is my hope that this film will find more viewers, since it is of a very high quality. It is also my hope that the director, writers and actors are not discouraged, and go on to make more films.
latinfineart
This could have been a good film. The message about PTSD was well intended. Granted, this was a difficult situation he was put into. But buck up man. Deal with it. Move on. It was one incident for God's sake. You did your best, now live with it. I think in the hands of a more skillful director it could have been a profound film. Instead it was a bit of a mess. Oldman was completely wasted, and poorly casted. LeBouf was good, and I am certainly no fan of his. Mara was good too, as was the kid. It just felt like so much of that was wasted. The ending was a twisted train wreck. I cannot recommend this film, regardless of how real the problem is, or how noble the message is.I do totally support the soldiers who put their butts on the line, with a series of useless wars this nation is fighting. And I think all of our commander in chiefs are responsible for really dropping the ball, when it comes to these soldiers, and the care and treatment they deserve when they return. That should be the real message here. Responsible on the part of Tiny George II, Blundering Barry, and now Cheeto. They are all abdicating their responsibility in a grotesque and shameful manner.
AD
