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PTSD is an actual, widespread crisis. It is an issue that our government and those in charge of caring for our veterans do not sufficiently address or discuss in public. For a nation that aspires to the title of civilized, it should be a top priority to address the issue of homeless veterans and those who are silently suffering from PTSD. None of these elements render “Man Down” by Dito Montiel to be an excellent movie. One of its many issues is that it utilizes PTSD as a hook, something to give its drama a sense of weight and gravity that it otherwise doesn’t deserve. If you’re going to make a movie on PTSD, give it the respect it deserves and don’t use it as an overused plot device. By doing this, one turns something important into something manipulative, harming the cause they claim to be trying to support. Even though “Man Down” is a terrible movie, its careless handling of a very serious matter will leave you with a foul taste in your mouth.
The events in Montiel’s most recent novel appear to occur throughout four different times in Marine Gabriel Drummer’s life (Shia LaBeouf). In a post-apocalyptic future, we find him searching for Gabriel’s kid Johnathan (Charlie Shotwell) with his friend Devin (Jai Courtney). They come across a vagabond named Charles (Clifton Collins Jr.), who might know where the child has been taken. They travel over a barren, uninhabited countryside. They are where? How did Jonathan fare? Who knows what happened to the others? It is deliberately ambiguous and perplexing.
Back at basic training, there are sequences that are so rife with military cliches that they ought to have been set to “Fortunate Son.” A lengthy conversation between Gabriel and a superior, played by Gary Oldman, that appears to take place after the young man has joined the Marines but before the end of the world works a little better as drama. The entire scene is by far the greatest in the movie since it deviates from the plot and gives the two actors a chance to act like characters. Without it, the film would almost be intolerable. Then, in a subsequent flashback to Gabriel’s life right before enlisting, Natalie (Kate Mara), his wife, is introduced, strengthening the link between Gabriel and his kid.
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The chaotic, choppy cutting of “Man Down” is intended to mimic the disorientation and warped reality associated with PTSD, but the result is the reverse in that it feels wholly like cheap, manipulative tactics instead of anything enlightening about the human condition. One of those scripts that tricks the audience into questioning what is genuine and what isn’t, “Man Down” has us wondering what happened to Gabriel’s son or while he was serving our country. As a result, “Man Down” does not feature any actual people. Characters are absent. The story devices are only cogs in the machine.
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It’s unfortunate since LaBeouf makes a valiant effort to make up for the shallowness of Adam G. Simon and Montiel’s script. He gives the part his all, never revealing the shallowness or cliches of the movie and doing his utmost to develop a worthwhile character. In the lengthy sequence with Oldman, he makes certain choices that are absolutely the right ones. He appears to be a damaged individual who is breaking down from within. This movie contains a strong LaBeouf performance, which almost makes the clichés that surround it more grating since they obscure the sincere effort it contains.
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In movies like “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints” and “Fighting,” Montiel has shown himself to be a fascinating filmmaker when it comes to exploring the alpha male, but he is unable to find the correct strategy for “Man Down.” The language occasionally sounds so cliche: “This location is secure.” “Marine, we’re at war. Nothing is safe. —that it borders on parody, and I pondered whether it wasn’t on purpose. A flashback shows the Marine buying his child a puppy, and the sequences of basic training could have been written by an adolescent who has watched too many war films. so forth. Sadly, it’s more likely just an instance of someone attempting to manage a delicate, nuanced subject but resorting to technology rather than actually engaging with the subject. Cliques are simple. It’s simple to influence crowds. The kind of guts required to truly address a national catastrophe is something that “Man Down” simply lacks.
For more personality quizzes check this: Prem Ratan Dhan Payo Quiz.
