Sand Castle

A decent and straightforward War movie. It's not very combat centered, but rather focuses on the soldier's internal conflicts. I've seen plenty of War films like this before and unfortunately this one doesn't stand out as that unique compared to many others. It feels like an extension of something you'd see on "Generation Kill". It's not necessarily a bad thing, because if that is your thing then you are gonna like this movie.

I will give it this though; I like the story-line of the soldier's giving water to the people in the village. That's actually one of the main missions the characters are given. I appreciate that it explores a simple story like that. Giving water to the people in need is ultimately more important than winning a war. Nicholas Hoult's character seems to find a purpose of being part of the army by doing this act of kindness because he feels that he finally does some good. So, that aspect was well portrayed in this movie.

Henry Cavill is not in the movie that much, but whenever he is on screen he plays his supporting character well. I think they should have utilized him much more, since he really was doing such a good job playing a kind of eccentric captain. A different role compared to what he has played before. The editing in some scenes distracted me. They started zooming in the image on the same shot a few times and I didn't like that. It's better to just let the scene play out in one shot. Don't start jump-cutting and zooming it in all the sudden. You have different angles for that.

The music is great. Some parts gave me "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Apocalypse Now" vibes and the end credits song is very relaxing. So, the movie leaves you with a nice feeling because of the music. It's not bad as I said, just a tad underwhelming. You can watch it and enjoy just fine.

This film tells the story of a young soldier in Kuwait, who is reluctantly being sent to Iraq to help fix the water supply system in a village. However, their help is not welcomed by the village, and they are mey with multiple hostile attacks.

"Sand Castle" has a simple but effective plot, where the soldiers have to do everything in their power to fix the water supply that got broken in the war. A seemingly simple task becomes very complicated when the locals are actively resisting and even sabotaging the operation. It can be plainly seen that, what seems to be a good will mission from one side is interpreted as an unwelcomed act by the other side. I think this unwelcomed good will mission can be extrapolated to the whole war, and this particular mission is a microcosm of the whole Iraq war. It leaves soldiers wounded physically and psychologically, especially when soldiers think they are doing good.

After a small squad of soldiers is tasked with helping distribute water to an embattled town, a devastating series of consequences will change them forever. Shown from the perspective of a disillusioned private, Sand Castle is as much allegory as it is a retelling of actual events. While the main character does traverse an arc, the conclusion of this film may leave some viewers wanting something more satisfying.

This movie is straightforward and honest, and avoids the clichés that ruin many other films about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Rather than having an agenda of trying to convince us that "War is Hell" or "War is Glorious", it simply tells an interesting story of a group of soldiers who were trying to provide water for Iraqi civilians.

The cast is very good, it was nice to see some new faces instead of overexposed, worn-out actors. The direction is proficient, the combat scenes are realistic and convincing.

I don't know what the budget for this film was but I doubt that it was huge. Even so this is an excellent film about men and war and the aftermath of their actions. Although there is a some conventional war film action this is generally a well-paced, slow moving film which might not appeal to viewers hoping for non-stop action.The characters are well drawn and the acting is first rate. Hoult, in particular, is excellent but Cavill, as well, is fine. There is a little of the usual American gung-ho moments but these are timed and acted well so they help to define the characters rather than simplify them. It's not a preachy film about rights and wrongs and the Iraqis are, the limited fight scenes aside, portrayed as people under duress attempting to continue their lives as best they can. Overall a very good, thoughtful film.