Director Jason Hall
Genre Biography | Drama | War
Cast Miles Teller, Haley Bennett, Beulah Koale, Joe Cole
Rating R
Release Date October 27th, 2017
“A group of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq struggles to integrate back into family and civilian life, while living with the memory of a war that threatens to destroy them long after they’ve left the battlefield.”
The directorial debut for actor Jason Hall, who wrote the screenplay for American Sniper and was also an executive producer, Thank You for Your Service is a war drama that follows a group of soldiers who return home from Iraq and struggle to blend back in with civilian life. The film is based on the book of the same name written by David Finkel, which is actually a follow-up to his book The Good Soldiers, which takes a harsh look at the heroes who fought the Iraq War in 2007. The Good Soldiers is based on Finkel's first hand experiences during the Iraq War as he was imbedded there with a group of soldiers. After the conclusion of the war he traveled back home with a few of the men to monitor how well they were able to adapt once back home, which is precisely what the book Thank You for Your Service is based on. The cast includes Miles Teller, Haley Bennett, Beulah Koale, and Joe Cole.
Powerfully acted and bursting at the seams with raw emotion, Thank You for Your Service is a heartfelt reminder of the significant sacrifices made by our military. After seeing the trailer for the first time, I was extremely excited for this movie and I honestly watched the trailer probably 15 times- it was just that good. Prior to the film's release, I did my fair share of research in terms of what the film was based on, as I touched on in the introduction of this review, and that left me even more excited. I am genuinely fascinated by everything our military has done and continues to do for our country, having recently read the book Horse Soldiers (it was made into a movie called 12 Strong set to release in 2018), and I am currently reading Black Hawk Down which was brought to the big screen in epic fashion in 2001. What interests me most about the books I just mentioned are the first-hand accounts of what it was like for these soldiers, who were often times thrown into life or death situations with barely any advance notice. Thank You for Your Service takes things one step further and follows some of these soldiers after they have returned home from the Iraq War, giving viewers an intimate look at the lives of 3 men who came home missing a piece of themselves. A film like this requires stellar acting and a director with a keen eye for detail, and luckily we were given both. You watch these men laugh together, cry together, and more than anything else you watch them struggle to live the normal lives they once had. One of the ultimate struggles plaguing our society is isolation and the feeling that we are misunderstood, and that is where these men find themselves.
Fighting in a war is hard enough as it is, but holding on to immense guilt brought on by traumatic events can eat a person up inside. One specific scene stood out to me above the others where one of the main characters finally brings himself to try and get help only to have a senior officer question his bravery. This is a perfect example of the way our society has been programmed to avoid showing weakness no matter what, especially within the military, and it can become a much bigger issue. This film is about cause and effect, the idea of what happens to the next domino if the domino before it gets knocked down, and on from there. Our actions have consequences, and sometimes it is the events that are out of our control that haunt us the most. As hard as it is to watch at times, Thank You for Your Service will undoubtedly instill a deeper appreciation for what the men and women of the military do for our great country. PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, is very real and is very much a deadly disease, with the rising suicide rate of former service members as proof. PTSD is not curable but is said to be manageable if the victim commits to treatment, but as the film points out the number of victims far outweigh the number of opportunities for treatment, and that truly breaks my heart. Thank You for Your Service stresses one important fact, and that is the inevitable vulnerability of these soldiers once they return home, which is a growing epidemic that we as a society need to band together to try and do anything we can to help.
I really can't say enough positive things about the acting in Thank You for Your Service. The cast is lead by yet another powerhouse performance from talented actor Miles Teller, who pours his heart into a very difficult role. Teller is a versatile actor but I am beginning to believe that dramatic roles are his bread and butter. He recently played a role in the real-life emotional drama Only the Brave, and I read an article where he talked about how nervous he was to take on that role as well as this role, and how he wanted to make sure he did each role justice. I think he did that and then some. Haley Bennett delivers a very solid performance alongside Teller. Bennett is a solid actress but she is by no means an A-lister, yet she holds her own next to arguably one of the best in the business for the foreseeable future. I really enjoyed Joe Cole's emotional performance as Billy Waller, one of the returning servicemen who returns to a life turned upside down. Similar to the rest of the core cast, Cole's facial expressions alone tell the story of a man who has been through the worst of the worst. He is beginning to build up a decent resume and I look forward to seeing him play other roles in the near future. Actor Beulah Koale basically comes out of nowhere and absolutely crushes a role pivotal to the success of the film. Aside from playing in 6 episodes of the latest season of Hawaii Five-0, Koale really hasn't been in anything significant. To me his success speaks volumes for the cast as a whole, as well as director Jason Hall's ability to get the most out of his acting talent.
Thank You for Your Service is a hard hitting emotional drama that feels authentic and genuine, and it is one heck of a directorial debut for Jason Hall. As the saying goes, you can't judge a book by its cover, and this is a perfect example of that. In an effort to raise awareness for PTSD, we are given a front row seat to some of the worst moments these men have experienced in their lives. I already had a deep appreciation for the men and women in our military and this film amplified those feelings. Thank You for Your Service reminded me that a member of the military could be hailed as a hero one minute, but the reality for a great deal of them is that once they return home to their family the real battle begins. Although I know they will be difficult to read, I do plan to pick up both of David Finkel's books so that I can have an even better understanding of the lives of these great men who are real American heroes. Highly recommended.
