The familiar format helps to underscore what's extraordinary about these stories, the fear and indignity felt by the soldiers.
The Good Soldier (2009)
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Reviews Counted:13
Fresh:10
Rotten:3
Average Rating:6.8/10
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
[More]
Director: Lexy Lovell, Michael Uys
Director: Lexy Lovell, Michael Uys
Screenwriter: Lexy Lovell, Michael Uys
Studio: Artistic License
Reviews for The Good Soldier
Their wars differ but their tales are eerily identical. Their material is arresting, with troves of detailed memories pouring out for the first time.
Has important things to say. Sadly, it does so in an unexciting manner.
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.
Avoids preaching to the choir, though perhaps only the choir will attend.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Latest News for The Good Soldier
November 12, 2009:
Critics Consensus: 2012 Isn't Quite Earth-Shaking
This week at the movies, we've got a global catastrophe (2012, starring John Cusack and Chiwetel Ejiofor) and some rock 'n' roll rebellion (Pirate Radio, starring Philip S.... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 75% 75% | The Road | 11/25 |
| | Ninja Assassin | 11/25 |
| | Princess and the Frog | 11/25 |
| | Old Dogs | 11/25 |
| 67% 67% | Me and Orson Welles | 11/25 |
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