Release Date: To Be Determined
This is the story of an elite Army bomb squad in Iraq. It’s a 3 man team and the leader is new to the group. Every day they get the call to check out a possible bomb and disarm it. While the leader handles disarming, the other two monitor the area for possible enemies that could be waiting to set it off. Jeremy Renner (Staff Sergeant William James), Anthony Mackie (Sergeant JT Sanborn), and Brian Geraghty (Specialist Owen Eldridge) play the members of the bomb squad. Sanborn and Eldridge just countdown the days until they get to go back home while James plays the reckless leader who almost gets them killed on a daily basis. The movie is edge-of-your-seat exciting. There are so many intense moments that you don’t even have a minute to relax. All the while they adequately build up the characters so you actually care about them. This is a damn good movie.
The film is mainly about the characters interacting with each other. Sanborn and Eldridge just want to stay alive so they can go home. James would rather be disarming a bomb than sitting on his couch back in his normal life. They really clash with each other as their fearless leader doesn’t exactly play by the rules. The casting really worked for this film. The three leads are relatively unknown to the casual movie goer which makes it seem much more realistic. You don’t get George Clooney running around in Iraq where you’re always thinking that its “just a movie.” The only well known actors only have cameos. Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, and Evangeline Lilly have minor roles while the bulk of the acting is carried by the 3 man bomb squad.
This was one of the more realistic war movies I’ve ever seen. It’s not over the top or boring. If Jarhead was a look at the less exciting aspect of being in the war while trying to remain realistic then this movie is a look at the intense moments of war while maintaining that realism. The bomb disarming scenes will have you sweating as you hope for the best but fear for the worst. It’s a job you wouldn’t want. Surrounded by potential enemies at every turn and thinking everyone is out to get you. Disarming bombs that could at any moment be set off by an Iraqi blending in with the crowd. It’s a scary thought and I sure wouldn’t want the responsibility. But it makes for an exciting and compelling war movie built around three characters that you come to genuinely care about. STAMP IT! ITS MADE BABY!
IMDB – 7.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes – N/A
Movie Wiseguys – 8.5/10
