Armored: Not Your Typical Anti-War Film
“There’s no bad guys, there’s just us,” Mike says a little later on — a line the film keeps returning to with diminishing results.
So Antal distracts us with tight close-ups on everyone from the lead characters to supporting types like Fred Ward, cast as the avuncular chief of the security squad.
Armored gathers a bevy of familiar faces, all of whom have done far better work elsewhere, from Laurence Fishburne to Jean Reno. Fishburne glowers on autopilot, and American filmmakers seem incapable of giving the French actor a meaty role. The pair lend Armored a touch of much needed class, but little else.
Antal clearly isn’t the right director to bring out any depth in such a deep cast. He cues the characters’ emotional moments by repeatedly having various actors run their hands over their faces to tip off anguish or pain.
The lean plot gets right to the heart of the matter, but it does allow some time to establish the bond between the guards, a grab bag of personalities who rely on each other’s support to get the job done each day.
Naturally, said bond conveniently breaks when it’s time to steer the story toward its fiery conclusion.
Armored plays out in predictable fashion, but once the heist goes awry the film finds its footing. So, too, does Short, who makes an appealing everyman hero who taps creative solutions to some life and death scenarios.
Armored may dabble in anti-war diatribes, but ultimately it shows Ty as a man to be admired, a former soldier whose skills on the battlefield come in mighty handy. It’s no coincidence the film improves appreciably just when Ty starts falling back on his training — and his wits — to salvage the day.
Some of the recent anti-war films, like Lions for Lambs, spend so much time stating their case that they forget to entertain us. Armored takes a different approach. The movie uses an anti-war refrain to set its story in motion, but ultimately showcases a soldier’s strength and heroism in the explosive final reel.
There must be something you’re good at.
The review is very good—but it concerns a movie that I am unlikely to watch anytime in the near future. I am fed up with the left-wing themes that dominate these recently released offerings. The hell with them.
“You should be proud of what you did over there,” Mike tells Ty, to which he replies, “I’m not. A lot of innocent people died.”
Yea, cause you know, war really sucks and all.
Geez, did a 5th grader write the screenplay?
not a 5th grader but someone with your like you number 3 Scotter! a second grader!!
Hmm, so enlisting in the military is bad because it puts you in debt?? How does one person having problems make the film anti war? Its not like its the movie “Brothers” or in the “Valley of Elah” which denegraded both the military and America.
Not sure whether I want to see Armored now or not.
This story line is so far fetched and ridiculous.
Why is it that actors who were not in the military want to make movies that portray veterans as criminals, and washed out dregs of society who are broke and emotionally disturbed?
I am a veteran so is my Dad, 5 Uncles, My Brother, My Grandfather, 2 Great Uncles and numerous cousins.
Guess what?
Not one is a criminal. Not one has emotional problems. Not one was sorry for a thing they did in the military. Not one is broke.
They should do a movie on how many people go to Hollywood to find a job and get hooked on drugs and commit suicide.
How many broke actors, directors, actresses with emotional problems make movies, or try to make movies and then become criminals?
I bet the list is long.
Many people know that Veterans by and large are upstanding, compassionate, hard working people. Oh but that won’t do in Hollywood because Veterans must be portrayed as losers with a deep seeded guilt from being a Man that loves Family, God, Country and served.
Want to know why these movies flop? Ask a Marine.
Give the people what they want….
Here’s some ideas for the next blockbuster:
Spector: A movie about a Hollywood Music Executive who kills a woman teases his hair, does drugs and gets a big house and a new wife named bubba.
OJ Not for just for Breakfast anymore: A Hollywood actor cuts his wife’s head off and beats the rap using the race card but goes to Vegas and gets 20 years by committing more crime.
Madoff and Me: A charming story about Hollywood geniuses falling for the largest Ponzi scam in world history reducing some of Hollywood’s military hating establishment into broke losers with emotional problems.
>>>”not a 5th grader but someone with your like you number 3 Scotter! a second grader!!”<<<
I am pretty sure you meant to equate me with a second grader but you appear to get confused going from 5 to 2. Take it a bit slower next time.
Forest, how do you know they were innocent? because they got shot Bubba. i hate to go to movies with my son because he picks them apart, this one sounds so ragged it ain’t even gonna make it to , there’s nothing to watch in the video racks so i might watch this one, category. below the Nazi zombies movies. lol