Random Review: No Man's Land (2001)

No Man's Land (2001), directed by Danis Tanovic, is a film set during the Serbian-Bosnian conflict. Two men, one from each side of the conflict, are stuck in a trench between the two front lines. A third man is lying injured on a jumper mine which will explode if he is moved.

At first the film feels as if it could go in the direction of having the two rivals begin talking and realizing that they are not as different as they had thought. You're left hoping that they could remain friends once the conflict is over. But No Man's Land is smarter than that. Old habits die hard and these soldiers do not change their ways within the day that the entirety of the films chronology takes place. Instead the two continue their escalating conflict with each other, injuring each other in the trench. When they are finally saved, one exacts his revenge by killing the other before meeting death himself at his U.N. saviors.

A third point of view beyond the two warring soldiers is from a U.N. sergeant who at first defys orders to help save the men from the war torn no man's land. We connect with him as he watches the two men that he worked hard saving die. The third solider in the trench is also a victim of fate. His mine cannot be disengaged so the U.N. pulls out, leaving him to explode.
The film ends with an aerial shot of the third man laying on the mind as the image fades to black. We have no knowledge of his actual fate and can tell our minds the mine may be a dud and he eventually walks away. But that would not fit with the tone of the film. One U.N. director also stated that he will be sending false information to both sides that the other side will be attempting to take the center trench. Will one of them move the mine? Which side? The Serbians, whose mine it was originally? The Bosnians, with their injured man upon it? We have no answers, much like the question of war itself.

The film takes a stance on action towards conflict. The U.N. sergeant says "Neutrality does not exist in the face of murder. Doing nothing to stop it is, in fact, choosing. It is not being neutral." It does not condone mere talks, nor does it condone being a warhawk. In the middle the answer lies. As the soldiers find themself in the middle of the two lines, our way must follow.

Part of the film feels like All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). That film also dealt with a pair of opposites stuck in a hole in the middle of the original no man's land. This time instead of one soldier immediately killing the other and having to deal with just a dead body, the tension from both sides comes to a clash. Either man can kill the other easily. The tide turns multiple times with one having a weapon, then the other, then both. The first soldier who may be identified as the films protagonist at first eventually becomes more bloodthirsty than the other. There is no good or bad unless they are both good and bad.

No Man's Land was awarded an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film (Bosnia) in 2002. It beat out, among others, Le Fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain (2001, France) or Amelie for short. Amelie currently rides high with audiences, holding a position in IMDB's Top 250. No Man's Land only edges into the bottom of the list at times. Both films I have found worth my time and I could see myself watching Amelie more than No Man's Land. No Man's Land is a bitter fruit to swallow but indeed more filling. In this case I believe the Academy has made the correct choice.

2008 haikus...

To end the year 2008, I've decided to write some reviews for the (sadly few) 2008 release movies I saw this year. I either saw these in the theater or watched them on DVD. They are listed in alphabetical order

The Bank Job
No big explosions
But still has Jason Statham
How can this all be?

Be Kind Rewind
Jack Black and Mos Def
Recreate some cinema
Trailer has more laughs

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The book was boring
And the movie not much more
Where is number three?

Cloverfield
Shaky camera work
Works better than the Blair Witch
Depressing ending

The Dark Knight
Though very hyped up
Emotional tour de force
Did not disappoint

Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Two guys, two hot babes
And add Seth from 30 Rock
Mix for raunchy fun

Get Smart
Never saw old show
So I can't compare the two
But still a fun film

Hancock
A non-comic hero
Is brought to life on the screen
Stick with the comics

Horton Hears a Who!
Unlike other films
Dr. Seuss not grave rolling
Haikus do not rhyme

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Indy 4 is fun
Survives a nuclear blast
Indy immortal

Iron Man
Born to play the role
All audiences adore
Hope sequel is good

Mama Mia!
Pierce Brosnan can't sing
But most performances shine
Not a bad chick flick

Meet Dave
Has great title
But movie is lackluster
Some jokes are fun, though

Rambo
Was nothing but gore
Bloody was to kill people
Film should not exist

Speed Racer
Panned by critics
But deserves another look
New way to make film

Star Wars: The Clone Wars
I am quite biased
I love all that is Star Wars
Belongs on TV

Strange Wilderness
Waste of my minutes
Very few jokes got a laugh
Grandma's Boy better

Tropic Thunder
Can this really be?
A good Ben Stiller movie?
Yes and funny too

Vantage Point
Did not expect twist
But the gimmick got old fast
Has stable acting

WALL-E
Pixar's greatest yet
Which is saying quite a lot
Must get the Blu-ray