A different way of telling a story

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

A story based on fact, really well depicted. Fundamentally, the film looks at the way humans behave (savagely) when seemingly normal people are put into Highly abnormal situations and the lengths to which humans will go to fit in. If you have a strong stomach for the most demeaning kind of violence portrayed on film then this is a must watch movie. An excellent film, moving and provoking. At the time of writing this review, we had already watched this movie 6 times since it´s release in 2007. Would we watch it again, absolutely.

As a 2 tour Iraq vet, I was taken to this movie as a birthday outing and didn't realize the "plot" was supposed to be an Iraqi war commentary.It's difficult to know where to start unwinding this tangled yarn of agenda, malfeasance, and outright lies, but the theater didn't keep our money that evening. We WALKED OUT after about 1/2 hour of watching this drivel, and demanded our money back. (Which they most-assuredly were willing to return to us) If you think lying to the American people is bad, this movie was obviously made for FOREIGN CONSUMPTION, so that the miserable wretches who conspired to make and distribute this pile of of crap, could make money SELLING OUT America AND KILLING American BOYS.And if you don't think this kind of garbage winds up killing Americans, you really ought to read some history and (gasp) maybe even serve your country in patriotism.

Although Mark of Cain isn't a bad movie, and most of the acting is in fact pretty good, it seems to be lacking a clear purpose. For a movie that aims to make a political statement, it seems to pull its punches at the most crucial moments. As a movie that wants to tell a story about a modern war, although realistic and often gritty, it is not nearly as powerful as Platoon or as intricate as Jarhead. In fact, the power of the story seems to peter out after the first two-thirds of the movie. For example, the technique of starting with a crucial scene, and then flashing back to this scene as the story unfolds, becomes less powerful. Eventually, the viewer pretty well knows what to expect. Watch Mark of Cain, expect some poignant scenes, but don't expect any new insights in that fiasco known as Iraq and don't expect to see war's truly horrific face.

Once the mission was "accomplished" in Iraq and the end of major combat operations was announced, parts of the country were handed over to the armed forces for the purposes of enforcing the peace and winning over the hearts and minds of the newly free Iraqi people. A group of British soldiers are stationed in Basra to this end under a steady commander. However when a patrol is ambushed and their commander is lost, the decision is made to enforce justice fast and hard to send a clear message out.This was originally down to be screened in the week that the British sailors were being held after being captured supposedly in Iranian waters. Channel 4 folded under pressure and pulled the screening because it was said it may "inflame" the situation and make it harder for the UK to find a democratic solution. I'm not sure if this was true (as it turned out they were actually released on the day this was postponed) because it was only ever going to be watched by a million or two if that, plus the story was already contrasting obviously with footage of how the US and UK treated prisoners (which I assume was why Iran made such a big show of how they hold our prisoners).Anyway, although it is stated up front that this is a work of fiction, it is clear that it has been very well researched because it does strike home as very convincing. This is most evident in the first half as the squaddies patrol the Basra streets, innocence is lost, violence is sudden and the soldiers react in different ways. This much is very well done and the script rings true. The main scene of action is really well delivered and it is well used as it folds into the changes in the characters and what they end up doing. This is rather lost near the end where I wasn't sold on it. Suddenly the script becomes clunky with characters speaking in "moral arguments" and speeches rather than sounding like real people. This also coincides with the narrative becoming weaker as well.To me this occurred where we went too much into the court case and had too much said that didn't need to be said. It would have been better to have had a much more subtle touch but it doesn't manage it. It is a shame and not even the performances of the lead two can totally convince in these later stages. This is saying something though because I thought the cast was mostly very good, with particular credit being owed to Kearns and McNulty. Gregory and Dooley are also strong and it is only some of the actors playing the brass who are a bit weaker.Despite the flaws associated with the final third, the film is actually very strong and convincingly written and delivered.