Home of the Brave

Reviewed by:
Pete Hammond

Usually it takes a long while for blood and guts-obsessed Hollywood movies to get around to dealing with the plight of war veterans. It wasn't until years after the Vietnam conflict ended that we saw movies like Coming Home. But now, Home of the Brave is telling the sad story of the forgotten Iraq vets, even as the war rages on. By portraying a different side of the war and the human price paid by those who fight it, director Irwin Winkler has created a stirring story of veterans and the problems they face at home. Despite a first half that fiercely portrays battle action, the main focus is on a handful of returning soldiers and the various difficulties experienced by them as they try to re-integrate into American society. Samuel L. Jackson is an army medic who turns to the bottle while his family life unravels. Jessica Biel must readjust as a single mom with a missing hand, newcomer Brian Presley putters around in a dead-end job as a movie usher and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson is haunted by memories of a deadly shooting. The script itself does fall victim to clichés and the tone uneasily shifts between a purposeful look at vets and sometimes-hokey melodrama. But overall the message is clear and pertinent, allowing this flawed but essential movie to even bring tears and make you think the next time you pass a vet on the street. For that reason alone Home of the Brave is one of the most deeply moving film experiences of the year.