In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Garrison is principally the story of two army officers, Sergeant Daniel McManus (Kerry Valderrama, also the film's writer and director) and Staff Sergeant Nathan Cross (James Barnes), two soldiers facing different but no less difficult issues in readjusting to life back home.Sgt. McManus has faced trauma whilst stationed in the war zone, but is doing his best to move forward. However, his work in training the garrison's new recruits and existing soldiers is placing strain on his marriage to wife Andrea (Elizabeth Ingalls). Meanwhile, Ssg. Cross is showing erratic behaviour and having disturbing accusations made towards him about his rapidly disintegrating marriage. When Ssg. Cross goes AWOL from the garrison, Sgt. McManus faces a race against time to find the increasingly unstable officer before the Military Police do, as arrest would mean the end of Ssg. Cross' military career.Garrison sets out with an intriguing premise, but ultimately fails to overcome it's underwritten script and very low budget. The film's presentation will undoubtedly put many viewers off, with it's drab locations, poor lighting and off-kilter camera-work dragging down many of the scenes. Although the script fails to create any real tension or drama, it does at least attempt to portray the damaged psyches of soldiers returning home from war without being too preachy or overbearing. The supporting characters are also fairly engaging, with Ssg. Xavier 'The Machine' Rivera (Jason Cox) being a standout. However, the characters are given very little to do throughout the movie, with only the dramatic final act letting them (and indeed the actors) spring into life.However, Garrison is by no means a bad film. It has an earnest quality and it is apparent that the filmmakers and cast were trying hard to make a good movie, it's just that not everyone involved had the required skills to overcome it's low budget. In it's favour, Garrison is at least decently acted by a cast of virtual unknowns and the basic story line is a strong one. Unfortunately, although Valderrama is not without some talent, his writing and directing skills in Garrison are not quite strong enough to raise this movie from the annals of mediocrity.

I really wish more big budget films was like Garrison. It was a very entertaining film, no Oscar winner to be sure but still very entertaining with a good story and decent acting for a bunch of unknowns. Also it captures the feel of military life I think as well. Maybe because i'm a vet, i'm biased but I think the film did a great job of that. For any veterans I DEFINITELY recommend. Even for people who have never been in the military I think they'd enjoy it. It was based off the 2002 Fort Benning murders and I think it handled the sensitive subject matter very well while still making it an interesting mystery film to watch. Overall a not a bad 1 hour and 25 minutes spent for me. Definitely a recommend.

An important topic film, but execution, style, music and a plethora of other tidbits make this whole project miss what is being sold here. The cast stated this movie has touched lives, and granted the Bragg killings are tragic - but this was not the film to be touting anything to do with those incidents. Some solid military performances and a conveyance of a believable "Garrison" lifestyle give this the stars I gave it - so maybe go into it to see this group's take on the daily lifestyle portrayed, with a violent domestic subplot appearing at the end and beginning. The special features give this an extra bump for the amount added onto this small budget film/DVD.

What irked me the most about this film was the lack of attention to details, and what I consider an important one. The flags on the right shoulders of the uniforms were correctly worn "backwards" with the canton (field of stars) are in the top right corner instead of the left. Army regulations call for the flag "to be worn so that to observers, it looks as if the flag is flying against a breeze." If a soldier was moving forward, the flag on the right shoulder would appear to be in motion. However if a flag is worn on the left shoulder, the canton should face left as it usually does. In this film some left shoulders had flags worn "reverse", which is just wrong. I've never had the honor of serving my country, but as an American I want our flag to be shown proper respect.