This movie seems to depict a particular job very specific (if you read the storyline you know what I mean, for all the others who don't want to read spoilers, I will leave it to you to find out for yourself) and very clearly. Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster are really great in a movie with a slow pace.

Apart from the slow pace, you will also notice that it shot almost like a documentary. The two main actors have a good vibe going on and their interaction is always great. The unlikely pair work phenomenally together. Some of the stories told seem to be true and the matter is handled very carefully. Whether you like the movie or not, will depend on whether you think the story has enough material to be told. I liked it

US Army Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) is a hero severely injured in Iraq with only a few months left. He is reassigned as part of the Casualty Notification Team. He has an affair with his ex-girlfriend Kelly (Jena Malone) who is engaged with somebody else. He is teamed up with Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson) who treats his work seriously. They go to inform Olivia Pitterson (Samantha Morton) but she seems unconcerned. She intrigues Will who starts getting involved in her and her kid's lives.

These are interesting and compelling characters. The performances by Foster and Harrelson are terrific. There are some powerful moments especially some of the notifications. The main plot meanders a bit and feels a bit aimless. It's worthwhile to see the good performances.

When I speak of "we" I'm speaking of the human race, not America or any other nation. Our wars will eventually do us all in, or, at the very least, shorten our time on earth. Imagine all the resources, creativity, and life has been lost because of wars. I know this sounds naive and maudlin but it's true. The only other destructive force that has had more of a negative impact is religion (or a misinterpretation of religious belief). Once again we find ourselves wasting it all in a conflict far from home. The result is two young men with different experiences, whose job it is to tell the loved ones that their child has been killed in battle. It really grabs the gut when it is shown with so much reality. My mother told me about her neighbors watching a couple of men in dress uniforms heading up the walkway. Or even worse, a man from Western Union bringing a telegram. The chances of ever seeing a telegram, let alone one with good news, was virtually non- existent. As Woody Harrelson's character tries to tell his partner, "Don't touch them!" Simply deliver the news and state the carefully rehearsed, robot-like information about who to contact and what services will be provided. Of course, they aren't robots, and there are two ways to go: either you get to know them in some way or you get drunk and depressed. The secondary victims are the relationships these men have outside their official duties. They have also been decimated by war. I don't want to go on, but this is what we don't see in these wars. It has become sanitized for all of us who watch the news at night. Someone recently recommended a return to the draft. Pass that and see how many wars we get into. this is a really well done movie and had tremendous impact on my soul.