Review of Winged Creatures

As a certain reader from the UK shamelessly plugged a Gus Van Sant movie regarding gun violence, all the while disparaging the entire USA, stating that "we Americans need to get out more"; I, on the other hand, found this movie a mixed bag of sorts. I found this movie at a Blockbuster, boasting promises of, "Like Crash, but better" on the cover. It took a couple of viewings (with the commentary, mind you) to figure out that this movie is not about gun violence, but about PTSD, and the effects it has on people in the midst of tragedy. Viewers who do not possess the patience of witnessing a 90-minute emotional roller-coaster may want to steer clear of this film. Viewers actually wanting a film advocating gun violence should check out American Gun (which also stars Forrest Whitaker). While this movie had good intentions, the character development was a bit nonexistent, as if we were supposed to already know everybody's scruples in the film before the film even started. As the director even states in the commentary, ensemble films are tricky; some work and some don't. This one almost worked. With more thorough development, it could have been the Better Crash that it promised us it would be.