Man Down
Drifting between a post-apocalyptic America, military battle in the Middle East, and events leading up to deployment, soldier Gabriel Drummer (Shia LaBeouf) re-traces his steps through a haze of PTSD in a visit to Counselor Peyton’s (Gary Oldman) office. Waiting at home, wife Natalie (Kate Mara), and his young son Jon (Charlie Shotwell) stand by for Gabriel’s return; meanwhile, the loss of best friend Devin (Jai Courtney) has a whole new set of ramifications. 
Directed by Dito Montiel and written by Adam G. Simon, this gimmicky analeptic film delivers its political message with little tact or precision opting for more of an eye rolling bludgeoning. Attempting to be mysterious in an easily decrypted manner Montiel falls short of the goal and sadly isn’t given a tremendous amount of story to work with at the same time, challenging. On the flip side, the ensemble manages to deliver a solid performance all round; sadly, the sum of all cinematic elements still fails to add up to a victory. Maybe worthy of a rental later when you’ve exhausted other options, Man Down is rated R.