"No man left behind" is the message of the extremely moving film - Sgt. Will Gardner. Actor Max Martini plays the role of an Iraq War veteran, Will, who comes back home from the war a devastated man suffering from TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) and PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder). Though Will made it back alive, unlike his best friend and fellow soldier Samuel, he is still fighting several demons in his head. He is aptly nicked-named "Ghost" by the way. There are also other references to ghosts.

Sgt. Will Gardner tells the now very familiar tale of several thousands of U.S. war veterans, many of whom are homeless and have lost their way in life struggling to adjust to normal civilian life after going through hell in the front-lines. While the movie's message is admirable, it meanders along for close to 2 hours before ending right where it started, after giving hope to the viewers that Will had finally put his demons to rest and given a new purpose in life. If we are not bored to tears by the many mundane scenes in this movie, we are left scratching our heads with the abrupt and unreal ending.

Some of the best scenes in the movie are when Will goes to reconcile with his 11 year son, who he left behind to fight in Iraq. In order to do that, he steals his boss's motorbike and rides cross-country to Florida. No explanation is given on how he survives without any money during his trip. What's more is that he meets a slightly unstable woman who mistakes him for Bryan Cranston and even has sex with him in her car. Lily Rabe plays Mary-Ann Mackey who has had enough of her numb boring life, quits her job on a whim and drives to Disneyland. Her delusional belief that Will is a celebrity, though he bears absolutely no resemblance to Bryan Cranston, provides a lot of humor which eventually devolves into pity.

Going back to Will and his bike, in fact the only time Will feels anchored and moves with purpose is when he's on that bike. When the bike gets taken away from him, he reverts back to the drifter that he was before he got possession of it. This is the main inconsistency of the movie, which proves to be its undoing. The viewer is left wondering why the bike is so important. It is just a means to go around, and does not come for free. Why was Will suddenly reduced to begging on the streets the moment he lost the bike? How was he even living, eating and filling gas for the bike?

Martini who plays Sgt. Will also wrote and directed this film. He should have finished it on the high inspiring note he reached just 5 minutes before the ending. Instead he ruined it by trying to create even more sympathy for war vets, and in process creating a totally fabricated ending which made no sense whatsoever.

I also wish the female characters in the movie were given a more solid role. Both of the prominent female characters come across as goofy and weak-willed. The film also features subtle cameos by Gary Sinese as a sympathetic bartender and Dermot Mulroney who plays the insecure husband of Will's ex-wife.

Overall, a good movie with a strong message. But it could have and should have been tightened a lot more. I give it 6 stars out of 10.

A heart rending film about the horrors of war. Veterans are treated with such disdain, lack of respect, indifference, and callousness by the US Government. Why send out boys off to fight silly, and useless wars, if you cannot take care of them when they come back. The VA is a travesty. Bush should be ashamed of himself, for getting us into two wars, that have cost trillions, taken thousands of lives, and maimed tens of thousands of men and women, who can barely get the treatment they so richly deserve from the hapless and incompetent VA.

Writer-director Max Martini is known for portraying a number of military roles on screen. Maybe it's because of taking on those roles but it's admirable for the actor to bring the troubles facing American veterans to the screen. After all, thousands of American veterans can be found along many streets and curbs asking for help. I think back to the early 2000s when we saw all those Support the Troops signs pop up in yards. That's fine and all but what were people doing to support them after they got back from war? Unfortunately, it's a question we have to ask ourselves today. It's very hard to watch this film and not ask ourselves these questions.

Helping American veterans is neither right-wing nor left-wing. This is less of a military film than it is the struggles of a war veteran who needs help. As a result of his service in Iraq, Will Gardner is suffering because of a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Meanwhile, he gets regular flashbacks as a result of PTSD from his service. Take both of these into account and his situation is perfectly understandable. This doesn't make any of it right but Gardner struggles to transition back into society. As a result of these struggles, Gardner goes on a motorcycle journey to reunite with his son, Will Gardner Jr. (Leo Martini).

This film is not an easy watch. But, Martini put his heart and soul into it. And his performance is astonishing. This film is a very, very good portrayal of the price many vets pay for their service, and just how little our nation is willing to give them in return.

This is the story of Sgt. Will Gardner, a PTSD, TBI vet. Will has flashbacks a lot and talks to his dead friend. In order to help himself, he reads and exercises, although we only see the former. He also helps himself by drinking heavily and stealing a bike from a Terminator to take a most boring ride across America and see his ex-wife and son. Will is very rough around edges. He is basically socially dysfunctional and unemployable...and fights too much.

Yes, folks like this need help but making a boring film on the topic really doesn't help. Now if they had Bryan Cranston starring in the film, we would have had a brief moment of comedy to break up all the drama. The soundtrack was the pitiful piano playing attempting to twang on our emotions because Lee Greenwood wouldn't do it without the green?

Now if they exposed Sean Hannity's dubious charity, or Trump attempting to kick veteran vendors off the sidewalk, that would be worth watching. All I ask is to entertained.

Guide: F-word, sex, no nudity.