Ветеран войны в Ираке теряет рассудок в фильме «Badland»

If you are old enough to remember the Iraq War, you’ll mostly recall how long it went. The military started recalling soldiers who thought they’d retired years before. Those already enlisted found themselves being cycled back into the warzone so they’d rarely saw their families. Many of the veterans would have trouble getting full-time jobs because employers feared their new employee might get another 9 months overseas. Badland is writer-director Francesco Lucente tale of a solider who comes home and eventually loses it. Can this veteran overcome his extremely dark space? Jerry Rice (Jamie Draven, Billy Elliot) enlisted in the army with the hopes of “being all that you can be.” He served time in Iraq and returned home to less than a victory parade. He’s stuck in the wilds of South Dakota working at a gas station that sits on a lonesome intersection. Things at work are going rough as his boss accuses him of stealing. He’s been honest with the guy. Things are even worse at his home. His wife (Vinessa Shaw, Eyes Wide Shut & Hocus Pocus) is pregnant with their fourth child. She’s not happy with their future of him working at the gas station. He can’t get much sleep since at night he has nightmares of Fallujah. Even when when he’s awake, he’s can’t shake the images. Nothing is going right. Then one day everything snaps inside him. He ends up hitting the road with only his young daughter Celina (Grace Caroline Currey, Shazam!). What went wrong was so bad that the duo fakes their own deaths. Eventually they stop at a small town to start a new life. Jerry finds help in Max (Joe Morton, Terminator 2: Judgment Day & Brother From Another Planet), a fellow veteran. They bond over what they’re both trying to overcome from their time abroad. But there’s a big problem in that Max is the town sheriff. Can Jerry really open up to Max without exposing his horrifying secret? Badland is a tense drama about a situation that didn’t get much attention to in movies. It’s strange since during the ’70s and ’80s, troubled Vietnam vets were major characters in Hollywood films. Perhaps it all changed when Sly Stallone and Chuck Norris wanted to go back to Vietnam to release the POWs. Joe Morton gives a stand-up performance as a character who wants to help even if he’s also troubled from his tours of duty. Badland doesn’t play it safe like a Hollywood Studio would with a leading character. This is a rare and impressive post-war movie for the 21st Century. Badland is available on Blu-ray and DVD. The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The transfer was mastered from the original 35mm negative. Audio is DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround Sound and DTS-HD MA 2.0. Things sound fine in either mix. The movie is subtitled in English. Compact Disc with the score. Audio Commentary with director Francesco Lucente and cinematographer Carlo Varini gives you a sense of how they worked together. The movie was shot on 35mm film so it’s interesting to hear them talk about barely getting a shot with the film left on the reel in the camera. Joe Draven Interview (11:55) is recorded at what looks like a press junket. He talks about how he got into the character. Joe Morton Interview (19:35) is also from the same press junket when the film came out. He talks about the relationship between his character and Jerry. Joe Morton Music Video (2:40) has the actor playing the song while playing the acoustic guitar. Joe Morton needs more singer roles. Grace Fulton Audition (2:19) has her in the casting agent’s office. This gives you a sense of what’s done in an audition. Grace pulls off a crying scene like a seasoned pro. Easy to see how she was picked by the director. Cast/Crew EPK 1 (14:08) is about The Making of Badland. Francesco Lucente talks about all he had to do during the shoot around Calgary, Canada. It was a very intense production. Cast/Crew EPK 2 (3:41) has Joe Morton talk about the trauma within the characters. Makeup VFX Documentary (14:49) has the special effects crew discuss what they made for Badland. They see the film as rather dark with the effects they had to devise. Can’t say too much about them since it’ll spoil the film. Music EPK (9:47) dips into the score created by Ludek Drizhal. Deleted Motel Scene (3:47) has father and daughter checking into the American Hotel. Deleted News Report Scene (2:22) is coverage of what Jerry did early in the film. English Trailer (2:04) opens with the storm. Slideshow (1:49) has press photos from the film. Ruby Max Entertainment presents Badland. Directed by Francesco Lucente. Screenplay by Francesco Lucente. Starring Jamie Draven, Grace Fulton, Vinessa Shaw, Chandra West & Joe Morton. Running Time: 165 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: June 23, 2026.