Mini-Review: if these soldiers were elite, they did a good job at disguising that. you could basically have a hundred twenty year old men doing voiceover work for a hundred identical lego men and no one would know the difference. super confusing when they address one another. it set the standard for future films in the genre but wound up being one of the better ones out there which unfortunately does not exactly make it great.

Mini-Review: in short: loved it. so gritty. bigelow makes sure she knows her shit before she films it. although most of us aren't all that familiar with war we must know it not to be all gun-whipping and body-counting. this film only serves as an affirmation to what we've suspected. it manages to be absolutely realistic about war, telling us that it isn't all about the action, but not letting us leave it out either. cuts to the chase, in-your-face realities of war. also, jeremy renner: perfect.

Mini-Review: i generally dislike films about journalists because they mostly harp on how they're so snoopy and destructive to their subjects, i.e. being a complete pain in the ass. this one was not really an exception, the jew/ww2 storyline not being especially groundbreaking either, but i can see the effort. also, good pacing and cross-cutting of eras without losing touch with the main story. liked how it flowed and that it actually worked. props to kristin scott thomas for effortless language transcending.