First Hit: A strong film about family and the effects war can have on our subsequent actions.
Tobey MaGuire plays Sam, a career soldier and captain, married to Grace (played by Natalie Portman). They have two darling daughters Maggie and Isabelle (played by Taylor Geare and Bailee Madison respectively).
The film begins by showing a happy family but with the impending sadness that Sam will soon be heading back to Afghanistan. Prior to Sam leaving, he goes to a prison to pick up his brother Tommy (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) who is being let out for some unknown crime.
Tommy is the bad boy of the family and their dad Hank (played by Sam Shepard) makes it known that Sam is the preferred son while Tommy is the weak black sheep. There is a dinner scene with all of them around the table which sets the tone of the family angst with the step mom Elise (played by Mare Winningham) attempting to keep the peace.
Sam goes to Afghanistan, gets shot down and is believed to be dead. Tommy, finds it in his heart to start taking care of Grace, Maggie and Isabelle. Tommy finds new joy in his life playing with Maggie and Isabelle.
It is clearly Gyllenhaal and Portman’s film at this point as you see the interplay of how Tommy starts to believe he has some value to his brother’s family while Grace begins to see the good side of Tommy. There is a moment when Grace and Tommy kiss but both of them realize immediately that nothing else can happen.
Meanwhile Sam was captured by the enemy, not killed but is tortured by his captors. In hopes of seeing his family again he ends up doing an unforgivable deed. When he is rescued, we clearly see that he has become a different man with his soul in a battle between his actions and his beliefs. In the end this film is about family and love.
The acting was generally superb all around the horn. However standouts include Madison as the older daughter when she shares her fear of her father, Portman for being able hide her absolute beauty and to have us see the character, and McGuire for showing me he is something other than Spiderman. I think the film could have had more in-depth probing of how the brothers became so different and how their dad hurt them while growing up. We are given a quick glimpse when Shepard tells McGuire about his turn in Vietnam and how it changed him, but that’s all.
Overall: This is a good film which could have been stronger because all the elements were available and the actors' first rate.