Though this movie is not perfect, it is very well done. The front story with the shrink in-law (Christopher Lee) treating the shell-shocked war zone photojournalist (Colin Farrell) for PTSD ranges in tone from forced to overly simple (with an ending reminiscent of someone just pressing the "EASY" button at Staples), but the back story flashbacks are powerful enough to make up for any deficiencies in the back-home-in-Europe part of the flick. Especially memorable is the actual title character, a Kurdish triage doctor (played by Branko Djuric) who brings to mind the practical fatalism exuded by Peter O'Toole's portrayal of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. All in all, director Danis Tanovic steadily builds tension in a way that recalls the recent foot-on-landmine triumph, NO MAN'S LAND. No doubt the lack of an unrealistic "happy ending" for the pregnant "adrenalin junkie widow" will prevent TRIAGE from achieving the popular rating heights of such funnier war films as GOOD MORNING, V!ETNAM! or INGLORIOUS BASTERDS. It's as if the crew of TRIAGE set out to make something truer to the war experience than a feel-good segment on Fox News. Apparently they did not even need to hack into anyone's cell phone voice mail to do so, either.
Review of Triage
