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Home of the Brave
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Pat Pilon (4th December 2007). |
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The Film
 Regardless of whatever the box may indicate, this is not a 'Black Hawk Down'-type movie. It plays a lot more like a modern-day 'The Best Years of Our Lives'. The problem is that 'Home of the Brave' pretty much copies that movie – guy losing his job after coming back, someone losing a limb (well, an appendage) and a few not being able to cope. Essentially, the movie is nothing new. After a group of soldiers get ambushed, killing one and wounding another, the group goes back home to Spokane, Washington and try to rebuild their lives. They learn that it's not as easy as they first thought, thanks to an uncaring military rehabilitation system and indifferent or abrasive loved ones. As their lives spiral down the toilet, they either become stalkers, drunks or recluses. If they have it in them to help themselves, they survive, if not, they die. The message is pretty clear-cut and it doesn't get any deeper than that. The movie also doesn't really take any sides. There are a lot of speeches - from the soldiers, from their loved ones, from those opposed to the involvement - but because of the ending, the movie never really says 'war is good' or 'war is bad'. All it says is that there are different viewpoints and that none of them are ultimately right or wrong. I suppose it's the filmmakers' way of saying that any point is valid. It's also easier to appease everybody and get them to like your movie. In any case, I suppose this kind of 'message' is the filmmakers' way of saying that the war is complex and not easily solved, on either side of the ocean. Well, the movie is brave in one respect. It shows someone playing three plays of a two-on-two football game and expects us to care when that soldier gets killed. To be fair, the actors generally do a nice job. The movie actually has some pretty impressive players. Samuel L. Jackson and Jessica Biel have major roles, while Christina Ricci has a small supporting role. Some of the supporting players, like Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson don't work out so well. A few times Jessica Biel and Samuel L. Jackson also seem to be acting more than inhabiting their roles, but for the most part, they turn in very good performances and help the movie out. As much as can be helped out because sometimes the script could be better, but I won't get into that. Suffice to say the script is generally good, but could use a bit of a sprucing up. I would probably be more generous with my mark if the box was actually a bit more honest with the presentation. The back of the box has the words 'action-packed' and nowhere is there any indication of the true plot of the movie. Granted, the first 20 minutes is action-packed and is very well shot, but it the next 80 minutes is hardly what I'd call a thrill-ride, or even 'gripping', for that matter. The drama is nice, but the characters could be a bit smarter about what to expect when they get back home. They can't expect to go into a warzone and come out being the same person. If they do, then they shouldn't have gone into war in the first place.
Video
2.35:1 widescreen, MPEG-2 codec. Shot on DV, the results are pretty mixed. The picture looks fine under perfect lighting conditions, like perfectly-lit indoor shots. However, outside, the whites are blown out, and the blacks are very flat, creating undue softness and taking away contrast. There are no real digital flaws, apart from the grainy and somewhat low-budget look of digital video apparent in some scenes. Colours are pretty accurate, though may be a bit on the desaturated side, which is either wanted by the director or a by-product of the source. Some indoor shots indoors seem to be lighter than others. In any case, the picture quality is a bit variable, with outside scenes taking a beating, while inside scenes looking a bit better.
Audio
The disc comes with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, as well as two dub tracks in Spanish and French, both in Dolby Digital 5.1. The first twenty minutes or so shows the life in Iraq and the ambush. In those scenes, the track really shines. The ambush is fast and the track never misses a beat. Bullets fly around your head and guns go off from every direction. Now, the mixing isn't the best, as the bullets and guns don't go off at the best times, but it's very nice action mixing and is pretty typical. For the rest of the movie, the sound is decidedly subdued. Most of it is dialogue, with the occasional flashback and other mild need for aural mixing. The dialogue is always clear, except for perhaps once or twice, where it's pretty low. In these scenes, the rear speakers are pretty much forgotten. The track is okay, but remember that this is mostly a drama. English and Spanish subtitles are present.
Extras
Extras with an asterisk (*) indicate high-definition exclusive extras. First and foremost is an audio commentary by director/producer Irwin Winkler, producer Rob Cowan and writer Mark Friedman. These three gentlemen have a nice time with this commentary, though it's somewhat of a low-key affair. They, first, talk about shooting in Morocco and how they accomplished that, given that none of them had ever done any kind of action scene before. They also give out some strange bits of information. For example, the Department of Defense refused to help the movie out, but sent the filmmakers a lot of notes saying what they should and shouldn't do. The trio also talk about writing action, and the psychology of the characters. They mention the amount of research that went into the movie. They also mention the war and their thoughts on it. It's a nice commentary but most people would only want to give it a whirl if they enjoyed the movie. Next is a Trivia Track*, which is packed with tidbits about the locations (the ruins in Morocco where they chase the bad guys were actually a house designed to be built like that), the actors, the roles, the intentions and various other things. One bad thing about this track is that there's a nice amount of overlap between this and the audio commentary. It is, however, worth reading. Deleted Scenes* are next. The standard definition DVD has 2 cut scenes, but I couldn't find out which ones. Here, there are three extra ones. The scenes are little character moments and add a little bit of depth. The fifth scene is the best and I don't know why it was cut out. The three men from the film's commentary have an optional one here and they explain why the scenes where cut. They were basically cut because they were redundant. The scenes are: Soldiers Get News They Are Returning Home (1:17), Dr. Marsh Examines His Usual Patients (1:44), Tommy Applies for a Job at the Movie Theatre (1:21), Vanessa Deals with Ms. "Virginia Slim" (1:19) and Vanessa and Cary Get to Know Each Other (1:50). Three Trailers finish the disc: 'Hart's War' (2:24), 'Windtalkers' (2:20) and 'Flyboys' (2:25).
Overall
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