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Home of the Brave (2006 film)
Encyclopedia
Home of the Brave is a 2006 drama film
following the lives of four Army National Guard
soldiers in Iraq
and their return to the United States
. The film was shot in Morocco
and in Spokane, Washington
.
), SGT Vanessa Price (Jessica Biel
), SPC Tommy Yates (Brian Presley
), SPC Jamal Aiken (Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson
) and PVT Jordan Owens (Chad Michael Murray
) are sent on a final humanitarian mission to bring medical supplies to a remote Iraqi village. On the way they are caught in an ambush by insurgents. The forward vehicles of the convoy are trapped in the narrow street where they are forced to fight the attackers. The rear vehicles manage to escape the initial barrage by taking a side-street, only to be met with an improvised explosive device
hidden in the carcass of a dead dog. SGT Vanessa Price, a driver, is seriously wounded, having been somewhat protected from the blast by her front seat passenger who is instantly killed. While pursuing the young boys who left the bomb along with other attackers, a recruit soldier in their team is shot and killed. When Jordan Owens and Jamal Aiken head out to shoot down the attackers, Owens trips on loose bricks from a broken wall so Aiken continues on alone to find the shooters in a graveyard.
currently gives Home of the Brave a 22% rating on its site, indicating "rotten reviews". The consensus stated; "The ensemble cast works hard, but hammy direction and a script lacking in nuance ruins this movie’s noble intentions." The A.V. Club
named it in its top 100 flops. TV Guide
gave the film 2 stars out of 4 and commented that the film "starts with a bang and ends in a long, protracted whimper" and Stephen Holden from The New York Times
said you "feel as if you have just sat through an earnest made-for-television movie" and in the end "an honorable dud".
. Jessica Biel
and Samuel L. Jackson
each received a Prism Award nomination for Performance in a Feature Film.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
following the lives of four Army National Guard
Army National Guard
Established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia operating under their respective governors...
soldiers in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and their return to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The film was shot in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
.
Plot
Shortly after learning their unit will soon return home, American soldiers LTC William Marsh (Samuel L. JacksonSamuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
), SGT Vanessa Price (Jessica Biel
Jessica Biel
Jessica Claire Biel is an American actress, model, and occasional singer. Biel is known for her television role as Mary Camden in the long-running family-drama series 7th Heaven...
), SPC Tommy Yates (Brian Presley
Brian Presley
Brian Joshua Presley is an American actor.Presley started his career with a handful of guest appearances on television shows such as Beverly Hills, 90210, Any Day Now, and 7th Heaven....
), SPC Jamal Aiken (Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
) and PVT Jordan Owens (Chad Michael Murray
Chad Michael Murray
Chad Michael Murray is an American actor, former fashion model and spokesperson. Murray is well known for portraying Lucas Scott in The CW young adult drama series One Tree Hill, in addition to the commercially successful films A Cinderella Story, Freaky Friday and House of Wax...
) are sent on a final humanitarian mission to bring medical supplies to a remote Iraqi village. On the way they are caught in an ambush by insurgents. The forward vehicles of the convoy are trapped in the narrow street where they are forced to fight the attackers. The rear vehicles manage to escape the initial barrage by taking a side-street, only to be met with an improvised explosive device
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
hidden in the carcass of a dead dog. SGT Vanessa Price, a driver, is seriously wounded, having been somewhat protected from the blast by her front seat passenger who is instantly killed. While pursuing the young boys who left the bomb along with other attackers, a recruit soldier in their team is shot and killed. When Jordan Owens and Jamal Aiken head out to shoot down the attackers, Owens trips on loose bricks from a broken wall so Aiken continues on alone to find the shooters in a graveyard.
Cast
- Samuel L. JacksonSamuel L. JacksonSamuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
as LTC William "Will" Marsh - Jessica BielJessica BielJessica Claire Biel is an American actress, model, and occasional singer. Biel is known for her television role as Mary Camden in the long-running family-drama series 7th Heaven...
as SGT Vanessa Price - Brian PresleyBrian PresleyBrian Joshua Presley is an American actor.Presley started his career with a handful of guest appearances on television shows such as Beverly Hills, 90210, Any Day Now, and 7th Heaven....
as SPC Tommy Yates - Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson50 CentCurtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
as SPC Jamal Aiken - Chad Michael MurrayChad Michael MurrayChad Michael Murray is an American actor, former fashion model and spokesperson. Murray is well known for portraying Lucas Scott in The CW young adult drama series One Tree Hill, in addition to the commercially successful films A Cinderella Story, Freaky Friday and House of Wax...
as PVT Jordan Owens - Christina RicciChristina RicciChristina Ricci is an American actress. Ricci received initial recognition and praise as a child star for her performance as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values , and her role as Kat Harvey in Casper...
as Sarah Schivino - Victoria RowellVictoria RowellVictoria "Vicki" Lynn Rowell is an American actress and dancer. She is best known for her portrayal of ballerina-turned-model Drucilla Winters on the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless, and medical examiner/pathologist Dr. Amanda Bentley on the CBS drama Diagnosis: Murder...
as Penelope Marsh - Mark Anthony ParrishMark Anthony ParrishMark Anthony Parrish is a self-proclaimed American actor, producer, and social and liberal political activist.-Biography:...
as Soldier #2 - Vyto Ruginis as Hank Yates
- Billy Michael as "test taker"
- Julia Dixon as "student"
Box office
The film was opened in only 3 theaters in 2006 and earned $51,708 at the box office domestically and $447,912 in the rest of the world. Originally released on December 15, 2006 for Oscar consideration, the production studio re-thought the release pattern and decided to pull it from theaters, planning on showing it to a wider audience later in the year. It was re-released on May 11, 2007 in 44 theaters, but this did not increase the film's financial earnings.Critical reception
The film received negative reviews from critics. Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
currently gives Home of the Brave a 22% rating on its site, indicating "rotten reviews". The consensus stated; "The ensemble cast works hard, but hammy direction and a script lacking in nuance ruins this movie’s noble intentions." The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
named it in its top 100 flops. TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
gave the film 2 stars out of 4 and commented that the film "starts with a bang and ends in a long, protracted whimper" and Stephen Holden from The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said you "feel as if you have just sat through an earnest made-for-television movie" and in the end "an honorable dud".
Awards
It was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Original Song ("Try Not To Remember") which was performed by Sheryl CrowSheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
. Jessica Biel
Jessica Biel
Jessica Claire Biel is an American actress, model, and occasional singer. Biel is known for her television role as Mary Camden in the long-running family-drama series 7th Heaven...
and Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
each received a Prism Award nomination for Performance in a Feature Film.