Garrison

A friend of mine recommended that I watch this movie. I wasn't expecting too much going in to it since there was nobody that I recognized in the cast and it seemed to be a very independent made film. After watching it however I was pretty surprised and can honestly say that I don't hate it. The cover was very misleading, making it seem much more than what it was. The movie was pretty straight forward two guys MacManus and Cain have to find there missing superior Cross and uncover the reason for why he went missing, there is a pretty cool twist at the end but that is pretty much it. If you have a couple hours to kill then take a look you probably won't end up killing yourself after it's over.

Garrison is loosely based on a series of murders committed at Fort Bragg, by returned US soldiers from Iraq in 2002. Veteran Sgt. Daniel McManus (Kerry Valderrama) is ordered to track down a missing comrade in arms, eventually coming into conflict with a deeply damaged man whose life McManus once saved. This surprisingly impressive low budgeter is a commentary on the forgotten soldiers of modern warfare who have been abandoned by their government, as well as a look at the juggling of a family life and a military career - which, in this case, does not end well.

First-time director/writer/star Kerry Valderrama (obviously creating opportunities for himself after starring in largely B-grade fare like Doctor S Battles The Sex Crazed Zombies!) delivers a solid piece of film-making, with interesting plot twists and convincing performances. He does, however, dip a few too many times into the big and truly dog-eared book of US military clichés - complete with brutally aggressive staff sergeants and suffering recruits. Apart from this, the plot is filled with enough suspense, mystery and evenly placed social commentary to keep audiences enthralled.

Garrison is principally the story of two army officers, Sergeant Daniel McManus (Kerry Valderrama, also the film's writer and director) and Staff Sergeant Nathan Cross (James Barnes), two soldiers facing different but no less difficult issues in readjusting to life back home.

Sgt. McManus has faced trauma whilst stationed in the war zone, but is doing his best to move forward. However, his work in training the garrison's new recruits and existing soldiers is placing strain on his marriage to wife Andrea (Elizabeth Ingalls). Meanwhile, Ssg. Cross is showing erratic behaviour and having disturbing accusations made towards him about his rapidly disintegrating marriage. When Ssg. Cross goes AWOL from the garrison, Sgt. McManus faces a race against time to find the increasingly unstable officer before the Military Police do, as arrest would mean the end of Ssg. Cross' military career.

Garrison sets out with an intriguing premise, but ultimately fails to overcome it's underwritten script and very low budget. The film's presentation will undoubtedly put many viewers off, with it's drab locations, poor lighting and off-kilter camera-work dragging down many of the scenes. Although the script fails to create any real tension or drama, it does at least attempt to portray the damaged psyches of soldiers returning home from war without being too preachy or overbearing. The supporting characters are also fairly engaging, with Ssg. Xavier 'The Machine' Rivera (Jason Cox) being a standout. However, the characters are given very little to do throughout the movie, with only the dramatic final act letting them (and indeed the actors) spring into life.

However, Garrison is by no means a bad film. It has an earnest quality and it is apparent that the filmmakers and cast were trying hard to make a good movie, it's just that not everyone involved had the required skills to overcome it's low budget. In it's favour, Garrison is at least decently acted by a cast of virtual unknowns and the basic story line is a strong one. Unfortunately, although Valderrama is not without some talent, his writing and directing skills in Garrison are not quite strong enough to raise this movie from the annals of mediocrity.

I have seen movies before on this type on budget and Garrison most certainly exceeds its expectations.

If you are expecting some huge military film then I would not recommend this movie for you. There are hardly any type of battle scenes and the ones that are shown are very small in scale. There are some interesting scenes throughout the film that do come as a pleasant surprise.

I would still recommend this movie since the acting and overall story line keeps you watching until the end.

I gave it an 8 because it was apparent that this film was made with no money, and any film on the military and PTSD has my vote.

I've read prior comments concerning the character development, the musical score, and more good reasons to kill time with this movie.

I heartily disagree.

The music is good, but it's sometimes overwhelming and unnecessarily hard. The characters, apart from the investigating sergeant, are cardboard characters, deprived of intelligence. I found it really hard to care about any of them, and I was continuously hoping that they would all end up in freakish accidents. Even the newbies deserved to get it up the rear end. I especially consider here the staff sergeant who goes AWOL. This guy is giving orders, and he's a total basket case. If this is an accurate description of the American army, then by God, the world is in peril. The pace of the movie is slow, to say the least, the dialogues are simple (suitable for a redneck military audience), and did I mention that the characters are despicable?

I suffered through the movie, and wish all the people who think this is good and realistic all the best. I fear a society where this is your standard drama, and I advise military leaders to also select their officers based on a psychological profile, and not only on the badass crazy percentage.