Thank You for Your Service review

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE:

AN INTENSE BUT THOUGHT-PROVOKING LOOK AT THE HORRIFYING EMOTIONAL IMPACTS OF SOLDIERS AT WAR!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND DREAMWORKS PICTURES

Miles Teller in Thank You for Your Service

            I find it humorous that last week I reviewed Only the Brave, a drama starring Miles Teller (The Spectacular Now, Whiplash, Only the Brave) only to immediately follow it up with another one. Seriously was that intentional to release the war-drama, Thank You for Your Service one week after Teller’s firefighter drama, Only the Brave?

            American Sniper writer, Jason Hall makes his directorial debut with the film, Thank You for Your Service based on the non-fiction book of the same name by David Finkel, and inspired by the true story of U.S. soldiers trying to adjust to civilian life after returning from Iraq. It’s always refreshing to watch a war-themed movie and not have the actual war be the main focus, this is not your Spielberg-ified Saving Private Ryan or overblown Michael Bay 13 Hours, this is a well-intended film that honors those whose lives were lost at war and analyzes the horrific emotional impacts the war may have on a soldier after returning to his/her everyday life.

            So, seeing how I was pretty much blown away by Only the Brave last week I figured it would make sense to watch another Miles Teller drama afterwards. That and the reviews for Jigsaw and Suburbicon ranged from mixed to negative but I might give you guys a Jigsaw review later on.

            Anyway, Thank You for Your Service is a very solid film, I don’t think it’s quite as good as Only the Brave but nevertheless it delivers the intensity and emotion that the impacts of war have on people. Add a talented cast with solid chemistry, a thought-provoking script, and even a sense of mystery and horror and you got quite an experience in the war-drama genre.

            The film follows a group of U.S. soldiers, Staff Sergeant Adam Schumann (Teller), Specialist Tausolo “Solo” Aieti (Beulah Koale-Shortland Street, One Thousand Ropes, Hawaii Five-0), Will Waller (Joe Cole-Peaky Blinders, Green Room, Secret in Their Eyes), and Michael Adam Emory (Scott Haze-Midnight Special, Between Us, Only the Brave) returning from war in Iraq who struggle to integrate back to their families and civilian lives. One of them has a wife and two children to look after, another is looking for employment and benefits, one is suffering from PTSD, and one is looking for his wife and daughter who supposedly ditched him when he went into service but living with the memory of the war threatens to destroy them long after they’ve left the battlefield.

            The film also stars Haley Bennett (The Equalizer, The Magnificent Seven (2016), The Girl on the Train) as Adam’s wife, Saskia Schumann, Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer, Trainwreck, Snatched) as Amanda Doster, Brad Beyer (Third Watch, Jericho, 42) as Sergeant First Class James Doster, Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones) as Alea, Omar Dorsey (The Blind Side, Django Unchained, Selma) as Dante, and Kate Lyn Sheil (You’re Next, House of Cards, Brigsby Bear) as Bell.

            Overall, Thank You for Your Service is a well-intended tribute to the real-life people who went to fight in Iraq and a rare instance where the intensity of the movie isn’t even during the war but rather the aftermath and how soldiers adjust to coming back to society after all this violence. It’s quite fascinating and an interesting depiction of people traumatized by war flashbacks and the lead actors really sell it.

            Miles Teller keeps knocking it out of the park with his acting to the point where I pretty much forgot he was involved in the awkward and dull Fantastic Four reboot. Every time he’s on-screen he just owns the moment and he’s not made out to be some kind of hero, they allow him to make mistakes and have flaws which makes him more identifiable and relatable as a character, it’s no Whiplash but his performance works very well.

            But who really surprised me was Beulah Koale as Solo, every time he experiences a war flashback he flips out and goes into this violent rage thinking that he’s back in the war to the point where he starts taking ecstasy and gets roped into doing jobs for a gang. It’s horrifying and sad at the same time and Koale really gives it his all in his performance.

            Thank You for Your Service is a war-drama that will hit the feels in every sense, inspire, and make you learn more about how much a war can impact a soldier even long after it’s over. It’s no Saving Private Ryan or Full Metal Jacket and maybe that’s for the best, war movies that aren’t overblown with explosions, bullets, and carnage don’t come along often and this is a good one to look at.