again and be get a melange of theme well cover by so many previous film . the good and the bad son story and courtesy east of eden . the american marine hero story and who doesn not consider himself to be one due to what he know . and the grieve wife potentially fall in love with another man story . the mere fact of those story be that ubiquitous isn not so much of a problem though . because theoretically they could still be well present and dealt with each time around . no luck this time though and a all three of those thread ultimately fall flat all the same . a the bad son never really get to talk to his father and so that conflict be never resolve properly . apart from the father kind of start to appreciate the bad son thanks to the latter renovate the kitchen of the grieve wife . now and how satisfying be that . next and the surprisingly homecoming marine suspect his wife of unfaithfulness conflict never get resolve . because he never really talk to the man under suspicion and namely his own brother . so once more be hand a loose end here . and finally and the american military heroism hypocrisy theme and where the marine be publicly consider a hero when and due to the dirtiness of war he go through and he shouldn not really be call one a to his own standard and that third theme fall flat just the same . because the movie end right when and for the first time and he just able to talk to his wife about what he go through . where the real story would actually begin at that very point and namely his process of recovery and how that would look like and how he would finally face the family he would have some major guilt to admit to . all that and all the really interesting bit be pass over and get ignore . so while story wise this film be a serious and and i mean serious and disappointment and i would still give it point for the impressive cast . although no film should use maguire for a voice over and because that belong to spiderman . especially a grow up gyllenhaal seem to fulfill all the expectation he arouse a a young and aspiring actor . so much that i would in fact love to see him entrust with a really deep and demand lead role of proper profile . so while the cast really seem to do what they can and i consider this film totally forgettable otherwise . a shallow and ultimately pretentious and utterly unsatisfying tear squeezer indeed . message du jour to the writer represent we know the wound already and see the host of vietnam film . you want to earn some credit and show u a believable healing .