Film Reviews by CB

I only found out belatedly (after I'd given up on it just over half way through) that this was based on a true story. My problem with it was that it didn't ring true. Having known many people with a range of different mental health conditions, there was very little in this that felt 'true to life'. The performances felt like people acting rather than real believable people.

"a warm, humourous, and deeply moving story" - I'm really not sure that's an accurate description. If I'd read the film's reviews online I might have been prepared for this bemusing (rather than amusing) film that leaves an 'Eh??!' at the end of it. The incredible acting talent represented by the cast is sadly underused. This is like no care home that I have ever been into (and I've been into a few). And the one character who seems more realistic (the head nurse) - well? what can you say? It fails to deliver on many levels. The Evening Standard's summary feels spot on: "a loving but unrealistic and ill-judged portrait of an NHS in crisis". Disappointing.

I had wondered if this would be a 'poor man's Erin Brockovich' (i.e. similar theme but just not as good). However, I found it compelling viewing and it has stayed with me since I watched it - always one of my main pointers to a good film. The three bonus shorts on the making of the film are fascinating, particularly the one about the real people who featured in the film (either as themselves or as cameos). The story is both a cautionary tale of the misuse of corporate power but also a reminder of the sacrifice that is sometimes associated with doing 'a good thing' (as Rob Bilott's tenacious actions over 15 years or so are described towards the end of the film).

Very funny (I was crying with laughter at one point when I saw it at the cinema), original, plenty of surprises, and it has a big heart . I enjoyed the second viewing almost as much as the first at the cinema.

I wasn't sure of the extent to which the film was based on a true story. The end credits certainly link it very specifically to actual events. It has been fascinating reading up about it on historyvshollywood.com. Some names were changed in the film (so, for example, Mark Nutsch becomes Mitch Nelson), and although the final battle was dramatised to some extent (though there was a rocket launcher), it's worth hearing what the real-life soldiers said about the film. This is from the website above:

What do the real-life Horse Soldiers think of the movie?

"We think they got it, they got the spirit of the Special Forces team in the post-9/11 moment in American history," said team leader Mark Nutsch, portrayed by Chris Hemsworth in the movie. Despite the movie accurately capturing the soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan, the real-life heroes have said that the movie does take artistic liberties, adding drama and portraying certain events out of order. Nutsch said that the movie leaves out a key river that the men often had to swim across in the freezing cold water with their horses, one of the bigger obstacles they faced on the mission. -ABC News

I got this film out because it had had some rave reviews, and I often enjoy quirky, different films. However, to me this felt almost as if it was a film project done by teenage boys featuring the things that they would find funny. Despite watching it through to the bitter end, it didn't improve for me, and I was left wondering what the point of it was - but maybe that's just me. 3

Having read the book, I was worried this might not live up to it. But it was as wonderfully quirky, funny and moving as the book. Brilliant!