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Movies / Upcoming / The Good Soldier
The Good Soldier

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The Good Soldier (2009)

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Reviews Counted:13

Fresh:10

Rotten:3

Average Rating:6.8/10

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 80 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Theatrical Release:Nov 11, 2009 Limited

Synopsis: “The Good Soldier” follows the journeys of five combat veterans from different generations of American wars as they sign up, go into battle, and eventually change their minds about what it means... “The Good Soldier” follows the journeys of five combat veterans from different generations of American wars as they sign up, go into battle, and eventually change their minds about what it means to be a good soldier.

A film that could not be more timely, “The Good Soldier” poses the question: What is it that makes a good soldier?

The answer: The ability to kill other human beings.

“The Good Soldier” reveals how soldiers simultaneously grapple with their duty and their own humanity.

The veterans tell of their alien surroundings, their connection to their comrades, and the ghastliness of their reality. Some were wounded, some lost their buddies, some lost their sanity as they tried to quench their intense thirst for revenge by killing the enemy and, consequently, killing civilians. Some buried the enormity of their actions and did not speak of them --- knowing only that they were following orders their commanders had required to conduct the war.

Each man, in his own time, discovers the courage to confront his past actions and begin his healing. Even though they are still haunted by their time in combat, their ability to face themselves in their waking life and achieve self- reconciliation, is the mark of true valor. --© Official Site
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Director: Lexy Lovell, Michael Uys

Director: Lexy Lovell, Michael Uys
Screenwriter: Lexy Lovell, Michael Uys
Studio: Artistic License

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Reviews for The Good Soldier

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The familiar format helps to underscore what's extraordinary about these stories, the fear and indignity felt by the soldiers.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
11/19/09
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

The humane portrayals make it worthwhile, if unspectacular, viewing.

Full Review Source: Film and Felt | comment Comment
11/17/09
Gabe Leibowitz
Gabe Leibowitz
Film and Felt

Their wars differ but their tales are eerily identical. Their material is arresting, with troves of detailed memories pouring out for the first time.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
11/16/09
Matthew Nestel
Matthew Nestel
Boxoffice Magazine

Has important things to say. Sadly, it does so in an unexciting manner.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
11/13/09
V.A. Musetto
V.A. Musetto
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A film whose benign-sounding title and Veterans Day release give a false impression of what it actually is: an attack on the military, drenched in blood.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment 2 Comments
11/13/09
Neil Genzlinger
Neil Genzlinger
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A provocative, vital, honest and profoundly moving documentary.

Full Review Source: NYC Movie Guru | comment Comment
11/12/09
Avi Offer
Avi Offer
NYC Movie Guru

Avoids preaching to the choir, though perhaps only the choir will attend.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
11/12/09
Ronnie Scheib
Ronnie Scheib
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An explicitly antiwar conclusion unwisely makes the grim focus feel like a bias, but the power of the interviews makes one wish for more stories, not fewer.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
11/11/09
Nicolas Rapold
Nicolas Rapold
Time Out New York

Co-directors Lexy Levell and Michael Uys deserve a 21-gun salute for fashioning a sobering antidote to all that patriotic claptrap about serving God, country and apple pie.

Full Review Source: Sly Fox | comment Comment
11/10/09
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
Sly Fox

Potent and wisely straightforward.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
11/10/09
Aaron Hillis
Aaron Hillis
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Deeply affecting antiwar documentary arriving just at the right moment with Obama planning to send 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan and just after the senseless massacre at Fort Hood.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
11/10/09
Louis Proyect
Louis Proyect
rec.arts.movies.reviews

This profoundly provocative film has the potential to change society's attitude towards and acceptance of war. It is extremely important that it be seen as widely as possible.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
11/05/09
Jennifer Merin
Jennifer Merin
About.com

A well-intentioned but uninvolving anti-war documentary.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment 2 Comments
10/29/09
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve
 
 
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