Garrison

Garrison is principally the story of two army officers, Sergeant Daniel McManus (Kerry Valderrama, also the film's writer and director) and Staff Sergeant Nathan Cross (James Barnes), two soldiers facing different but no less difficult issues in readjusting to life back home.

Sgt. McManus has faced trauma whilst stationed in the war zone, but is doing his best to move forward. However, his work in training the garrison's new recruits and existing soldiers is placing strain on his marriage to wife Andrea (Elizabeth Ingalls). Meanwhile, Ssg. Cross is showing erratic behaviour and having disturbing accusations made towards him about his rapidly disintegrating marriage. When Ssg. Cross goes AWOL from the garrison, Sgt. McManus faces a race against time to find the increasingly unstable officer before the Military Police do, as arrest would mean the end of Ssg. Cross' military career.

Garrison sets out with an intriguing premise, but ultimately fails to overcome it's underwritten script and very low budget. The film's presentation will undoubtedly put many viewers off, with it's drab locations, poor lighting and off-kilter camera-work dragging down many of the scenes. Although the script fails to create any real tension or drama, it does at least attempt to portray the damaged psyches of soldiers returning home from war without being too preachy or overbearing. The supporting characters are also fairly engaging, with Ssg. Xavier 'The Machine' Rivera (Jason Cox) being a standout. However, the characters are given very little to do throughout the movie, with only the dramatic final act letting them (and indeed the actors) spring into life.

However, Garrison is by no means a bad film. It has an earnest quality and it is apparent that the filmmakers and cast were trying hard to make a good movie, it's just that not everyone involved had the required skills to overcome it's low budget. In it's favour, Garrison is at least decently acted by a cast of virtual unknowns and the basic story line is a strong one. Unfortunately, although Valderrama is not without some talent, his writing and directing skills in Garrison are not quite strong enough to raise this movie from the annals of mediocrity.

An important topic film, but execution, style, music and a plethora of other tidbits make this whole project miss what is being sold here. The cast stated this movie has touched lives, and granted the Bragg killings are tragic - but this was not the film to be touting anything to do with those incidents. Some solid military performances and a conveyance of a believable "Garrison" lifestyle give this the stars I gave it - so maybe go into it to see this group's take on the daily lifestyle portrayed, with a violent domestic subplot appearing at the end and beginning. The special features give this an extra bump for the amount added onto this small budget film/DVD.

Garrison is loosely based on a series of murders committed at Fort Bragg, by returned US soldiers from Iraq in 2002. Veteran Sgt. Daniel McManus (Kerry Valderrama) is ordered to track down a missing comrade in arms, eventually coming into conflict with a deeply damaged man whose life McManus once saved. This surprisingly impressive low budgeter is a commentary on the forgotten soldiers of modern warfare who have been abandoned by their government, as well as a look at the juggling of a family life and a military career - which, in this case, does not end well.

First-time director/writer/star Kerry Valderrama (obviously creating opportunities for himself after starring in largely B-grade fare like Doctor S Battles The Sex Crazed Zombies!) delivers a solid piece of film-making, with interesting plot twists and convincing performances. He does, however, dip a few too many times into the big and truly dog-eared book of US military clichés - complete with brutally aggressive staff sergeants and suffering recruits. Apart from this, the plot is filled with enough suspense, mystery and evenly placed social commentary to keep audiences enthralled.

What irked me the most about this film was the lack of attention to details, and what I consider an important one. The flags on the right shoulders of the uniforms were correctly worn "backwards" with the canton (field of stars) are in the top right corner instead of the left. Army regulations call for the flag "to be worn so that to observers, it looks as if the flag is flying against a breeze." If a soldier was moving forward, the flag on the right shoulder would appear to be in motion. However if a flag is worn on the left shoulder, the canton should face left as it usually does. In this film some left shoulders had flags worn "reverse", which is just wrong. I've never had the honor of serving my country, but as an American I want our flag to be shown proper respect.

So why can't they get the simplest things correct in this movie, for instance the unit insignias on the shoulders which no one is wearing, and no combat insignias either, cause everyone is wearing cib with wreath, so you know they have been in combat. And the fact in some scenes you see some of the actors not not wearing there covers or hats, probably for the fact so you can see there face better, wearing a mp3 during a company run, I mean please, such inaccuracies are just horrible and disrespectful, so it was a low budget film, but these are just simple things that so easy to get right but yet like so many other films they screw them up totally and portray the military as idiots.