Film Review – In the Land of Blood and Honey

She’s an international superstar, Hollywood bombshell, mother to a nation of her own, and tireless supporter of human rights. And now Angelina Jolie is a movie director. “In the Land of Blood and Honey” is her filmmaking debut, scripting and helming a harrowing tale of survival during the Bosnian War, selecting a premise that best mirrors her own global concerns, working to spotlight a period of inhumanity that was largely ignored during the early 1990s. It’s a grueling picture to watch, and while earnestly constructed, Jolie displays trouble maintaining the inner life of the piece. She’ll happily serve up sexual violence and disturbing gunplay to smack around her audience, but meaningful characterization is lacking, constipating the soulfulness of the screenplay. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com