In Country - this has all the trappings of the 80's and, as such, can come across a little cheesy and lacking in subtlety in parts but I still enjoyed it a lot. I find films about the Vietnam war quite intriguing and this offers a slightly different perspective, from a teenager (Sam) who never met her father who died in service and struggles to relate to the Vietnam experience and connect to her father's memory. Bruce Willis puts in a great performance as Sam's Uncle, who carries both the psychological and physical effects of the war and is easily the most sympathetic character. Whilst this starts off fairly light in tone, it soon becomes apparent that the vast majority of characters cannot communicate or relate to each other on an emotional, or even physical, level due to a generation that was lost to a war that the rest of the townsfolk would rather forget. There are some great films about the Vietnam war and many that are superior to this but, in my opinion, 'In Country' is unfairly overlooked.
 |