Sand Castle (2017)

The story follows a young soldier, and his introduction into the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Based on true events, it bears witness to the destruction, and horrors of war.

Director:

Fernando Coimbra

Writer:

Chris Roessner

Stars:

Nicholas Hoult, Logan Marshall-Green, Henry Cavill

Cast

Credited cast:
Henry Cavill	...	Cpt. Syverson
Nicholas Hoult	...	Pvt. Matt Ocre
Tommy Flanagan	...	Sgm. MacGregor
Logan Marshall-Green	...	Sgt. Harper
Navid Negahban	...	Kadeer
Glen Powell	...	Sgt. Chutsky
Beau Knapp	...	Sgt. Burton
Sam Spruell	...	1st Lt. Anthony
Neil Brown Jr.	...	Cpl. Enzo
Anthony Welsh	...	Carter
Parker Sawyers	...	Sergeant Robinson
Gonzalo Menendez	...	Haring
Nabil Elouahabi	...	Arif
Sammy Sheik	...	Mahmoud
Sope Dirisu	...	Sgt. Cole

Storyline

A soldier enlists just before the 9/11. He is not a brave man--simply volunteering to defend freedom. Arriving in Iraq in 2003, just after the occupation of Bagdad, with a few soldiers of his infantry platoon, he is sent to provide water to a village whose infrastructure was destroyed. Simple things however, such as water transportation, water distribution and the reconstruction of the plumbing became a challenge in war environment.

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Plot Keywords:

based on true story | bare chested male | shower | taking a shower | man in shower | 

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Taglines:

Home is a war away

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

21 April 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Castello di sabbia

Filming Locations:

Jordan

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Mark Gordon Company, Treehouse Pictures, International Traders

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to writer and war veteran Chris Roessner, he was inspired to write the screenplay for this film when he watched Oliver Stone's Platoon (1986) while in Iraq. Interestingly, the cast of this film includes Parker Sawyers, who had previously worked with Stone on Snowden (2016).

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Goofs

The beard of Captain Syverson (Henry Cavill) should have been shaved off and his hair cut. While Special Forces personnel are given special dispensation while in the field or on special assignment (they are either too far from base for anyone to care or required to fit in with the locals), that does not apply when they are assigned to a regular unit. As Captain Syverson was in charge of what amounted to a repair crew, his hair should have followed standard military protocols.

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Quotes

[repeated line]
Sgt. Harper: Roger that.

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Connections

Featured in Good Morning Britain: Episode dated 20 April 2017 (2017)

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Soundtracks

Roots Bloody Roots
By Sepultura

User Reviews

Very enjoyable - describes a difficult conflict well

After seeing some other disappointing attempts at portraying the Afghanistan and Iraq war, Sand Castle was a very pleasant surprise.

The characters were believable and the story convincing, telling the difficulties faced by American soldiers and Iraqi civilians alike. It didn't need over-exaggerated patriotism nor jingoism, nor did it rely upon over the top action scenes nor special effects.

I was drawn in by the characters and the story, and although it left me wanting more this was in a good way - what it said it said well. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and have no hesitation in recommending it.