While the lead performances from Holland and Ciara Bravo, as Emily, were strong, there just wasn't enough diversity or character development to make me truly care about the outcome. While some might see the relationship between Cherry and Emily as toxic, to me, it felt more like two people with low self-esteem being easily influenced by their circumstances.
The storytelling felt a bit thin, and the plot definitely started to lose me about two-thirds of the way through. I found myself checking the time frequently. The film relied heavily on a soft-lighting look early on that felt almost fake, and the quick, Marvel-esque cuts made the war sequences feel crisp but lacked the true heaviness you would expect from a war movie. It felt like a very anti-military film, highlighting a toxic environment where rank is valued over ideas, and it critiques a failing healthcare system that treats deep trauma with temporary fixes.
Even though the movie spans twenty years, some of the aging choices, like giving Holland a mustache, felt a bit silly. It also struggled with that common Hollywood obsession with portraying prison as the only path for rehabilitation for people with PTSD.
Overall, the story wasn't particularly unique, and the directing felt like a bit of a nepotism project where the Russo brothers and Holland just wanted to work together again post-Avengers without a fully fleshed-out idea. It really lacked the grit needed for such a serious subject.
