Jim Caviezel plays a former Green Beret defending his hometown in a Veterans Day action thriller filled with advanced weapons, tactical combat, and beautiful scenery.
What would you do to save your family home and the town you grew up in from corporate foreigners who can only see the bottom line instead of people and nature? What if you were a former Green Beret who now creates advanced weapon systems and occasionally "handles" discretionary international matters for the United States government? For Henry "Fitz" Fitzgerald (Jim Caviezel; Sound of Freedom), that is exactly what he finds himself up against when a large corporation starts buying up land and water rights from all of his neighbors. Suddenly, he finds himself fighting a war he never thought he would need to in the new action film, Ghost Soldier, coming to theaters this week.
Fitz was trained to kill on demand and survive even when the situation seems untenable. After he left the military, he moved back to his hometown in Wyoming to live a quiet and solitary life. However, that solitude is shattered when the Brownstone corporation, owned by a foreign entity, comes and pretty much threatens homeowners to sell their land. When he and the Hernandez family are the only ones left yet to sell, the Hernandezes find strange things happening until one night they are attacked, and their house and barn are burned down. Lurking in the shadows, Fitz kills all the hired guns sent to scare him and the Hernandezes. With less than a month until eminent domain kicks in, Fitz must do whatever is necessary to drive the big corporate people away from his town.
The screenplay was written by newcomer Chris Papasadero, who was a former Green Beret himself, and who knows what ideas to add to the script and which ones to leave out. It is very apparent, through the level of thoroughness, that he had prior military service and knows details about missions, movements, and the "lingo." However, while his dialogue has some level of originality, this story has a basic premise which we have seen before.
Caviezel, while not a veteran himself, knows a great bit about the U.S. military. He also is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys hiking, so that part of his character is rather familiar to him. He does a very good job portraying Fitz, and he comes across on screen as believable. He is joined by a varied cast of actors including Shea Whigham (American Hustle), Tetiana Dar (Get the Girl), Michael Ironside (Total Recall), and Garret Dillahunt (Raising Hope).
Filmed in Romania, the film has stunning visuals and wide-open spaces that give the feel of "small-town America" somewhere in the Midwest United States. The expansive fields stretch for miles while the lush and dense forest offers some beautiful scenery to go along with the menacing plot. The landscape is a wonderful accessory to the dark and dangerous plot.
The advanced weaponry is incredible and makes one wonder what type of mind comes up with some of these inventions that could rival anything Q could create in the 007 films. From night/heat vision helmets to human-targeting missiles and cloaking fabrics, the weapons in this movie could be one of the characters all on their own. If you enjoy warfare-themed stories and cool gadgets, this is one film you don't want to miss.
While the plot isn't anything we haven't seen before, this new twist with the weapons gives Ghost Soldier something a little unique. It is also a nod to our veterans who have sacrificed so much to keep our country safe while, once again, being a cautionary tale about big business and corporate greed.
If you enjoy a good tactical film with cool weapons (including the main character himself) and beautiful visuals, this is a movie you may want to consider going to see, especially when it opens on Veterans Day.
Grade: C+
