I found this movie a letdown. The acting was pale at best. The plot was not sound. The overt political themes weighed the whole thing to a standstill. The last quarter of the movie was just agonizingly drawn out. After four different characters are "fingered" for the murder, one begins to recall old "who-dun-it" films and wonder when Mrs. Marple will be announced.
TLJ portrayal as a retired Army career man was sad. Jones attempts to walk the walk with the stiff behavior and several buzz phrases. Just doesn't pull it off. Active duty military personnel don't "fix" their beds compulsively! (perhaps it is hard to believe, but most are just every day folks.) It was a bad prop used to attempt to craft a character. And it was a silly one to use. Sad, I say, because I honestly believe TLJ is a much better actor than that. Sometimes, you can't put enough talent into a bad script I guess.
Theron's role of the detective is noteworthy. I liked the stance she seemed to make, not calling out her co-workers for obvious sexism, but measuring her disdain for their behavior by the bucket load. But overboard, in my opinion was the tension developed between the law enforcement officers and the military. There is always some degree of friction, but to have some long standing resentment as seen in the movie would require a long established history of issues. We don't see that or even get hints at it here.
Lastly, disgusting is the portrayal of practically every soldier in the movie as some drugged out, burned out, stressed out product of the war. I've served in the military and been to the places mentioned in the movie. Less than one half of one half of a percent of the soldiers I've served and worked with would fit as characters in this movie. Could there not be a single redeeming figure among them? Why did every one of them have to be "criminal" in some way? Finally, when the end did come, like some tooth extraction visit to a low rate dentist, we are inflicted with the image of TLJ raising a flag upside down, and duct taping the lanyard to the staff. The line, if I recall right, was "Oh, that makes it easy." Flabbergasting....
TLJ portrayal as a retired Army career man was sad. Jones attempts to walk the walk with the stiff behavior and several buzz phrases. Just doesn't pull it off. Active duty military personnel don't "fix" their beds compulsively! (perhaps it is hard to believe, but most are just every day folks.) It was a bad prop used to attempt to craft a character. And it was a silly one to use. Sad, I say, because I honestly believe TLJ is a much better actor than that. Sometimes, you can't put enough talent into a bad script I guess.
Theron's role of the detective is noteworthy. I liked the stance she seemed to make, not calling out her co-workers for obvious sexism, but measuring her disdain for their behavior by the bucket load. But overboard, in my opinion was the tension developed between the law enforcement officers and the military. There is always some degree of friction, but to have some long standing resentment as seen in the movie would require a long established history of issues. We don't see that or even get hints at it here.
Lastly, disgusting is the portrayal of practically every soldier in the movie as some drugged out, burned out, stressed out product of the war. I've served in the military and been to the places mentioned in the movie. Less than one half of one half of a percent of the soldiers I've served and worked with would fit as characters in this movie. Could there not be a single redeeming figure among them? Why did every one of them have to be "criminal" in some way? Finally, when the end did come, like some tooth extraction visit to a low rate dentist, we are inflicted with the image of TLJ raising a flag upside down, and duct taping the lanyard to the staff. The line, if I recall right, was "Oh, that makes it easy." Flabbergasting....