Search - Garrison on DVD

An Infantry PTSD film of sorts

Steve Kuehl | Ben Lomond, CA | 07/22/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I am finding difficulty in reviewing this film as I found there to be a separation between what is being advertised and what the actual product is. To get the list out of the way, it is being advertised as "based on a true story" (the Ft. Bragg killings of 2002), but in reality it shows one soldier from a Texas base reacting horribly to an extramarital affair in a way similar to one of the murders from 2002. The cover art cannot agree between inspired or based as it says both - so let's stick with the first. The cover art shows combat that never happens, the sound is listed as 5.1 Surround - but it is actually a horrible 2.0, and the description is not what the film mostly shows.

The story follows several Infantry staff in a dry day-to-day style format of training, logistics, hazing, more training, and off-base life (strip clubs, home life, etc.) whilst an AWOL soldier is being looked for by this staff. The violent end of the story is told at the beginning, then again at the end with a slightly misplaced plot twist. The days leading up to this act are spliced in with some flashback combat footage and obvious forays into making this a PTSD film. In actuality though, over 45 minutes of this middle part are all barracks and training life, so the combat angle is never really covered.

The special features give this an extra bump for the amount added onto this small budget film/DVD. The making-of lasts an hour and covers any and every aspect of what it took to make this film - very dry but informative about how a $4,000 film with all unknowns gets made. There are 7 minutes of deleted scenes, a 2 minute "combat test" short film, a concert video of Joint Method (one of the bands in the film) and a commentary.

Once again, an important topic film, but execution, style, music and a plethora of other tidbits make this whole project miss what is being sold here. The cast stated this movie has touched lives, and granted the Bragg killings are tragic - but this was not the film to be touting anything to do with those incidents. Some solid military performances and a conveyance of a believable "Garrison" lifestyle give this the stars I gave it - so maybe go into it to see this group's take on the daily lifestyle portrayed, with a violent domestic subplot appearing at the end and beginning."