Many of the negative reviews for this film were clearly written by people who expected a war movie, which this most certainly is not. What it is, however, is a mostly unfiltered peek into the emotional battle returning combat veterans continue to wage for years or even decades following their tours. Having served 3 tours of combat, I feel I can at least bring some relative perspective to the film. From a technical perspective some of the dialogue was contrived, some lines forced and awkward, and it plays into a few stereotypes I felt were gimmicky. Specifically the portrayal of the 2 officers who seemed almost oblivious and even cartoonish. In real life, despite the popular jokes of the enlisted force, officers care deeply for the well-being of their troops and are generally attuned to at least their basic needs. But beyond the minor technical weaknesses, the story itself was extremely moving. There were myriad nuances and subtleties that may have escaped the notice of non-veterans or may not have had the same impact, but those little bits are what made the movie for me. I watched the movie on a cross-country flight so not the best environment but I found myself choked up during certain scenes that, had I had a little more privacy, would have devolved into a much more dramatic show of emotion because the movie expressed things I have been unable to myself. I don't have PTSD, but when I watched the movie the pain of my memories was brought sharply into focus and I connected with the characters in a way less common in other films. I think the film did exactly what it was intended to do. Not entertain, but incite. Incite anger at a system that sends men & women into intolerable situations then fails to provide adequate support when they come home broken. Incite sympathy for the hundreds of thousands left unsupported including their families. And shine a light on a problem that will affect American society for decades if not properly addressed.

We need to do better. That's the moral of this movie about soldiers returning from combat.They seek help and none is given. Some is given too late.Everyone should see this.

This is a good movie on the fate of veterans of current wars. Good cinematography, but let's remember the Nazis had good cinematography in some of their sinister progaganda films.This is one more film with pseudo patriotic messages and hypocritical wailing over the fate of the "people who go to war". It's not the "people". Career officers are not affected by PTSD. Those affected are lower class enlisted men and women who, with or without patriotism, find going to war the best available option. Ill prepared (many with pre existing mental problems), ill trained and exposed to the most vulnerable situations, they find that "option" sometimes is just one more step in a downward spiral.The answer is dealing in a rational and humane manner with all aspects: assessing the real cost of engaging in war, careful selection of recruits for different kind of duties and adequate aid to veterans. These are the real issues that these films carefully sidestep.

A group of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq struggle to integrate back into family and civilian life, while living with the memory of a war that threatens to destroy them long after they've left the battlefield. Except Whiplash i haven't seen Miles Teller in anything else that he even tries and this film is another example since from the first 5 minutes i feared this was going to be bad (that entire scene where he tries to help a fellow soldier to dumb as hell) and the whole film drags from there and it goes on and on and it never stops plus i was disappointed with the rest of the cast as well and the story never gets up from where it is. (0/10)