Pre-made Pre-cut 'Good vs. Evil' plot

They could have thrown a lot of extra into this movie to thicken the plot or throw the protagonists much more into the moral grey-zone that the plot deserved. It was a great opportunity with some fine actors that was sadly wasted. Like when the baby was crying, and Lt. Waters told Dr. Kendricks to shut him up no matter what it takes. Or when they entered the next village, there was plenty of opportunity to show some great moral dilemmas of leaving the wounded civilians behind.

The ending was like only silverscreen can deliver: All the bad guys dead, and protagonist and his girl literally flying into the horizon with the people he saved waving him off.

The reason I was particularly unhappy with the Hollywood cliche is that the setting and cinematography and budget were all amazing. Some scenes in the first half of the movie were very well made. I even liked most of the actors. It had all the setup to be a great movie that people would refer to for years, and it ended with nothing but disappointment.

(I mean seriously, they made the Nigerian rebel general even pick up the smoke grenade and smell it. Talk about dehumanizing the antagonist.)

—I am not anti-US, I'm actually probably a bigger sympathizer with US intervention than the average individual, but I want a story that shows the good and the bad of every character and every decision.