The accomplished ensemble includes vet Samuel L. He cites Machiavelli (“Wars begin where you will but they do not end where you please) and has obviously studied William Wyler’s great post-WWII epic, The Best Years of Our Lives, which won the 1946 Best Picture Oscar and other major awards. To his credit, Winkler has done his homework. The movie is meant to pay tribute to this courageous group, but it’s so pedestrian in writing, direction, and even acting that perhaps the subject should have remained untouched-until the director with the right approach and talent could be found. The filmmakers claim that despite the return of more than 150,000 vets their haunting and inspirational stories have remained hidden from the medias and the public’s view. We have seen it before, perhaps not about Iraq, but about WWII, Vietnam, and other wars. “Home of the Brave” is meant to be a stirring, unflinching and multi-layered war drama about a diverse group of National Guard soldiers that returns to Spokane, Washington after getting caught in a harrowing Iraqi street ambush. The film may be honest, but it lacks true grit, real drama, profound ideas it’s not even good by standards of TV-Movie-of-the-Week. Though timely and relevant, “Home of the Brave” is such a mediocre work that it’s easier to admire its honorable intentions than to praise its artistic merits.
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