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Man Down

Well-meaning but degrading schmaltz

 

An Afghanistan vet with PTSD (Shia LaBeouf) suffers required sessions with a military therapist (Gary Oldman), who hopes to get to the cause of the “incident.” Cut to a post-apocalyptic future in which the US has been overrun by Islamists. Several story strands intertwine clumsily in this well-intentioned, misbegotten mess from Dito Montiel (Empire State, Boulevard). It frequently shifts tone from action to family drama to a showcase for LaBeouf (who is solid here, despite the limitations of the material). Its grandiosity, manipulation and silly plot machinations cheapen the contributions of real soldiers. (92 min)