Tommy Lee Jones once again brings his A-game to the table, with a strong, nuanced performance. The dynamic he holds with his wife, portrayed by Susan Sarandon, is achingly real. Similarly, each of the soldiers seem to bring a truthfulness to their performances lacking in other films (say, a film that I reviewed above). Thus, despite being more overtly a fiction film, there’s a greater sense of verisimilitude of this work than many of the documentary-styled Iraq flicks that have emerged of late.
The title refers to the story of David, where a righteous underdog defeats the militarily superior opponent. Hardly the most subtle of metaphors (nor the upside flag motif, signifying a county in distress), but effective. For all those that though Crash lacked subtlety will surely find the same complaints here, but I for one found it an enjoyable flick with enough politics, suspense, and fine performances to keep it interesting.