Mine

Ending dragged out with flashbacks to characters you have zero connection with. The ending was about 20 minutes longer than it should have been and the narrative was predictable and boring.

This movie is wayyy too long. I wanted to like it, but by the time the final 40 minutes came around, I found myself wishing he'd just take his damn foot off! First off, it's a bit of a daft story-line, the army just wouldn't abandon soldiers, sandstorms or not. Two days in one position and your leg would go numb. Hell... mine goes to sleep when I cross my legs for more than five minutes these days! I have a gripe about the casting of the black man, played by Clint Dyer (I know - who?). Why get an English actor, or for that matter an American to do the voice of an indigenous tribesman slash Nomad? Are there no actors who have a more suitable accent? It all adds to the realism. His accent was appalling and clichéd, almost comical. Well, a few things happen over the next two days (and boy does it seem every minute of 48 hours). It feels as though the movie has genuinely been that long by the end. By the time you get to the retrospective look at our hero's past, you genuinely want him to just get on with it, it just goes on and on and on. Then the painful drawn out end is just too much. I found myself just wanting the movie to stop before I broke something. I think I started to lose focus around 43 minutes in. It's always a bad sign when you are looking at how long is left and an even worse one when you can remember the exact time you looked afterwards. The whole movie was just over the top, like the music and swelling orchestral accompaniment, which shouts 'I want you to be moved' instead of the film and events actually moving you. The movie is easily summed up as: man steps on mine, man steps off mine - the end. There is no more substance to it unfortunately. A lot more interesting things could have happened. The acting is fine, but how hard is it to play such an unchallenging role? The end is a bit unsatisfactory as well, it can be seen coming a mile off, so that is a further letdown. I wouldn't view this a second time if I had free tickets. I have more things to do with my life, like chewing my own arm off, or sticking pins in my eyes - both of which would be more pleasurable.

Intensely Irritating. When the Tension in a Nail-Biting Thriller becomes Intolerably Corny, the Intention is Lost and the Frustrating Factor Fills in.

The Side Character of Tommy (Tom Cullen) begins the Annoying Dialog and Behavior even before the Movie has a Chance to Gain some Interest and Momentum. It won't be the Last Thing that gets on the Nerves (and not in a good way).

Everything Starts to become Bothersome. The Aloof, Inattentive Voice on the Radio from Headquarters, the Indigenous Goof that Starts the "Theme" or "Message" of the Movie. You've Gotta "Move On".

Most Annoying of All is the Dripping with Clichés Flashbacks, Especially the Father, but also the Wife. The Third Act is Full of Itself and it just goes On and On to the Breaking Point of Audience Acceptance.

Overall, the Film is too Heavy Handed, Corny, and Unending. It also is Bound to the Greatest of Movie Missteps. A Movie Must Move. This one is so Weighted with its own Heaviness that it Ain't Going Anywhere. Be Prepared to be Stuck in the Sand with Bad Writing and Over the Top Sentimentality.

Note...For what it's worth, the Movie Stars Armie Hammer.

If you go into this expecting war action, you'll be severely disappointed. Exhibit A: the low ratings of some reviewers here.

This isn't a war movie or an action movie. It's the story of a man facing his inner demons in the context of war. I think the directors did a phenomenal job creating a true thriller with literally little action. Armie Hammer's performance was superb; I only started watching the movie because Armie has the kind of looks that God took extra time creating, but as the movie progressed I forgot about the actor and saw only the character. Two thumbs up!

I highly recommend this title, having withheld 10 stars only because the Berber got on my nerves at times and I found the twist at the end irritating.

The first (almost) half is taut and thrilling, with unexpected twists and a superb pace, the rest of it - not so much. It's almost as if different writers contributed to the separate halves of the movie. The psychological tension it strives for is burdened by cliché domestic drama; the romantic angle is a drag and slacks the movie. The semi-mystical, surreal elements and wide, solitary shots of desert expanses were gripping.

P.S. The protagonist was very good-looking and makes for a very convincing US Marine soldier, so it makes the boring parts tolerable.