i catch this on cable and have absolutely no preconception or expectation and have never read a review or check imdb . i saw it have tommy lee jones in the cast and and that make it a must watch movie for me . at first and it seem like a gripping crime drama and but quickly start show it true colour . this be a movie about and not the u. s. army and but the hollywood army while that be and the army a hollywood have see it since the 60 . it take the stereotypical and screw up viet nam vet and and put him on steroid for the new century . have spend 28 year in the air force and and have friend serve in iraq and afghanistan and and other fun spot and i have some idea what i be talk about . here what i learn about the new hollywood army ( ha ) and a oppose to the real and u. s. army ( usa ) . when you retire from ha and if you be a military cop and they let you keep your badge . and active duty id card . in the usa and they take the badge and give you a retiree card . have spend a career a an ha cop and if youre chase a hispanic suspect and you will shout every racial epithet you can think of and then beat him senseless as soon a you catch him . the usa hasn not eliminate prejudice from the rank and but have do a pretty darn good job of try . unless you live through the barrack riot and de facto segregation of the 60 and 70 and and see the difference now and you really can not believe how far we have come . in the ha and power corrupts and but army power corrupts absolutely . the ha and realize there no easy way to take nintendo generation kid and turn them into effective soldier and strip away their humanity and turn them into stone cold emotionless killer . so much so any soldier can take a good friend and chop him into little piece and burn the piece and and then go out for a bite of fried chicken . the usa be a far cry from the boy scout and but i guarantee that your average soldier have a far straight moral compass than your man on the street american . yes and abu ghraib happen and but it be an anomaly and not business a usual . ha soldier do drug . every last darn one of em . it consider odd to expect that anyone doesn not . they try to avoid hard drug and at least when outside of a war zone and but otherwise and jokin and tokin be de rigeur . in the usa and there be still drug and but there be on go program of random testing and and if you do drug you will get catch . return ha soldier be tick time bomb and just wait to go off . it not a question of if and it when . in the usa and there be indeed post traumatic stress and it consequence and but it a problem that treat and not ignore or sweep under the rug . i could go on and but that give you the gist . on the plus side and tommy lee jones give a tremendous performance and and for the first time i realize just how good of an actress charlize theron truly be . susan sarandon be thankfully relegate to a minor role with minimal screen time . the overall message here and however and be despicable . it an anti army and hate america kind of movie . it amaze that so many reviewer here think this reflect reality . they obviously haven not be in the military and and be probably the kind of people who would cross the street rather than say good morning to somebody in uniform . jihadist everywhere will love it while anyone with a shred of patriotism will find it to be total crap .