User reviews

Joe's war is an engaging story of the struggle of a veteran who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder. The film captures the tensions Joe experiences in his relationships with family, friends, Doctor and a fellow patient whose parallel arc depicts an upward path to recovery. The film effectively pulls the viewer in, and one can not help but identify with the supporting characters as they struggle to help Joe re-integrate into society, and fight the evolving alienation that surrounds him. The tension in Joe's war builds to a climax which brilliantly portrays the tragic and sometimes violent nature of post-traumatic stress and the senseless destruction it causes in the lives of the afflicted and those who are connected to them. Everyone has a "Joe" in their life at some point, and Joe's War deals with this important topic in a direct and poignant way. This film points out that our society has done little to truly help PTSD victims and serves as an urgent call to action on this devastating illness.

Good special effects and the uniforms were pretty much accurate, but once again, Holly is selling the liberal thought that all G.I.s are suffering from PTSD and just human time bombs waiting to go off. This is unacceptable to those of us who have seen heavy combat and survived with the tools most of us have at hand. Seeing folks like Ed Asner in any role in a movie about war is a dead giveaway it will be a pure propaganda piece.

If you enjoy action movies just for the explosions, you're fine, but if you are a history nut, or even a veteran...I suggest you move on. As Gen Patton said..."These folks know as little about war, as they do about fornicating".

Watched "Joes War" twice, it is a very deep and compelling story. The acting was heartfelt and moving on a subject that needs much more exposure. I felt the story was true to life as I know many people that suffer from PTSD!!

I recommend this movie to be seen by everyone, as we are all affected in one way or another with this horrible disease. I believe this movie will shed some light and may possibly save someones life, who can ask for more!!

I suppose its a good movie depicting the effects of PTSD, however, the cinematography, acting, music and depth of plot lets this movie down. Having watched this, I'm now inclined to watch The Deer Hunter (1978) again for the 100th time,it is with out a doubt the best film of its kind.

Joe's War is a very effective and relevant film. It focuses on the rapidly growing PTSD epidemic that's claiming the lives of many American veterans.

The film follows Joe (Michael Markiewicz) a soldier returning home from two tours in Afghanistan who can no longer face the "normality" of everyday life after experiencing the horrors of war.

It isn't long before Joe turns to alcohol and the relationships with his friends, family and girlfriend begin to deteriorate. A psychiatrist (Armand Assante) and a fellow veteran (Louis Vanaria) may be the only two people who can save him from total self-destruction.

This is what the Hurt Locker would be if it followed the Jeremy Renner character once he returned home. Now this isn't an all out war film but it does feature some very graphic battle scenes that are hard to shake.

I highly recommend this film. It's a great character study and it brings awareness to a very critical issue in our country.

This film feels very real. It doesn't try to be a big, fancy blockbuster, it is an intimate portrait of one marine's coming home story & his struggles to find his footing while the horrors of war still play on in his mind. I found it to be heartfelt & powerful, it doesn't deal in easy answers or fairytale endings but sheds Light on the realities of PTSD. Every veteran has a story & sometimes that story hurts to much to tell even to the people closest to them. Coming home is just the start of the journey home for soldiers who may have survived war physically but are far from healing psychologically.

An amazing, heartfelt movie that captivates your attention from the very start. You become invested in each character and find yourself wanting to learn more. A true insight into the lives so many war heroes lead, that the average person knows nothing about. A wonderfully produced and executed film. A must see!!

Excellent movie to help understand PTSD. I think it does a service on just this and hope it helps a family or family member struggling with service time. Thank you for this movie as no one has touched specifically or dedicated a whole move to just this subject. God Bless those that served and God help those in need after service.

This movie really brings the effects of PTSD to the forefront. I thought it was well written and well acted. It really sheds light on this dark subject. It shows you that you never know what someone else may be going through. It also shows how this affliction can change the lives of the people around the person experiencing PTSD. I highly recommend watching it. It really opened my eyes.

Joe's War is a great insight into soldiers suffering from PTSD and allows viewers, who aren't familiar with the disorder, see it first hand. The director did a great job of bringing the audience into their horrific real "deteriorating" world. This sickness is real and needs to be addressed, so I applaud all that were involved with the making of this film.

There were some really nice shots to go along with it, and the music was fantastic. Definitely some heart-touching emotional scenes. The story gave just enough insight without over complicating the issue at hand, so that we could see this disorder and try to understand it best we can. These soldiers, who defend our country need help and sometimes they don't know where to turn and we need to take notice to the warning signs.

We need movies like this now more then ever to raise awareness. I would recommend this film to anyone. Really makes you think.

On top of it all, Armand Assante's performance was brilliant and he gave a perfect and unique dimension to the film's character!

Very good film. Extremely sensitive topic that needs more films like this which show realistic depictions. Joe Lido and Mike Markiwicz give very respectable portrayals as the two leads. Armand Asante is as usual a very solid star in a cast which includes the ever respectable Ed Asher and Tom Sizemore supporting this film with style and professionalism.

The rest of the cast does a fine job in keeping you interested as well. A fine job getting the point across that PTSD affects everyone in your circle. A great film to bring new awareness to the affects of PTSD. Well done

This is a MUST see movie!!! Gives a full real time description of what our military goes through on the battle field. Then goes deep into the struggles once they return home. If you love the US Military this movie will give you a whole new perspective of why we must support our men and women who fight for our countries freedoms. It was an honor to see this movie!!! I highly recommend!!!!

I saw this movie at the film festival and i loved it, really shows how PTSD can affect someone, and what our hero's have gone through to give us our freedom, I highly recommend watching this movie! I also bought the DVD on Pre-order so i can watch it again, I can't wait to get my DVD.

Great movie from beginning to end a must see. Very interesting to see what these men and women go through. A lot of them have no support when they get home maybe this movie will open a lot of eyes to what is goes on during war and if you have family members that have been there.. be supportive and have patience when they come home. Great acting and directing.

Incredibly moving picture. The writing is fantastic. Highly recommended! I would recommend you watch this movie. The story line is an important topic everyone should watch. Great writing Great editing! All though some of the topics made me a little sad. Its the point of the movie to fill you with emotion.

Joe's War tells the story of a returning two tour soldier coping with the horrors of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD). It tackles the hard realities surrounding PTSD in an honest, hometown way.

The Staten Island/Brooklyn feel and real world display of compassion and love so native to that area and it's people help keep the story moving. The musical score fits perfectly.

Props to the writer for his passion portraying an issue which deserves attention.

The acting was above par, with my highest ratings going to Armand Assante, Michael Markiewicz, and Lois Vanaria.

I usually watch horror but sometimes I come across movies that feature real horrors. Philip Falcone movie Joe's War does that. It shows you the true horror of war and how it does not end when you go home. Michael Markiewicz portrayal of the titles charector Joe is award winning. He is supported by a very good cast but he outshined the bigger actors Ed Asner, Tom Sizemore, and Armand Assante. They have outstanding performances But Michael really shines. Joe recently returned home and has problems dealing with civilian life. What he sees and done while deployed is a living hell. It slowly takes its toll and destroys everything and everyone he loves. Most noteworthy his girlfriend and Uncle. PTSD is a problem for these young soldiers and this movie needs to be seen so everyone could understand and bring awareness to this mental disease. Philip Falcone is a movie maker to look for and hope this movie gets the recognition it deserves. It is available on Amazon.

I would just like to say that this film delivers on many complex issues facing our Veterans. It is nice to see that it was done tastefully. The writers seem to be very respectful of the US Veterans. They took on a tough subject matter and have opened my eyes to what some of these kids are going through.

Kudos to the team effort on this film. Many great supporting roles. Tina Grimm, Louis Vanaria, Anthony Gallo, Robert Kirk, all familiar faces. And let's not forget the talents of the lead Michael Markiewicz along with Joe Lisi and the greats Armand Assante, Ed Asner and Tom Sizemore... All in all a really good and very touching movie A++

Excellent movie. I enjoyed this Movie very much. I watched this movie with my wife.she thought the movie was very realistic. All the thoughts we carry inside from our experiences. Carrying all the thoughts of a war .Having to overcome going back home. The acting was great. The writing was great. The production and Directing was great. I felt like I was glued to the screen throughout the whole movie. I applaud the makers of this film. I would recommended this film to others. The real life situations always interest me I. A film.you can not get more real tgem this film. The experiences and memories of a war in your mind.

Very realistic, convincing and heartfelt performances throughout the whole movie by the entire cast. Those who've served definitely deserve alot more support while they transition to civilian life.

Those who've served know all too well (especially when single) that drinking can be a coping mechanism throughout their military career. Caused by the sadness of being away from friends and family, and dealing with the general stressors of military life. I thought it was very realistic that the lead in the movie "Joe" used alcohol as a coping mechanism to numb the emotional pain brought on by his PTSD flashbacks about his violent combat experience. Which, as you could imagine only made things worse for him. Even though he was back home with friends and loved ones, the impact of PTSD still made him feel isolated and alone.

I am getting ready to make my own transition into civilian life. Sure, It's gonna be tough. But, I'll have it a lot easier than Joe did. One line that hit home for me in Joe's War was (I'm paraphrasing) "When you're in the military, everyone has your back. In civilian life, everyone is out for themselves". Even so, I am lucky. Being in the AF communications field for 22 years, I have a skill that can used to secure a job on the outside. A guy like Joe, who sacrificed the most, is left in the dust because his combat skills very rarely translate to a civilian career. Combined with dealing with the everyday trauma of PTSD.

I think the average rating of 3.9 for Joe's War is extremely unfair. I believe that too many people that rate a movie on IMDb can be a little too fixated on production value. It was low budget, but that didn't hurt the movie at all. I throughly enjoyed Joe's War, and thought they did a fantastic job!! 👏

This movie is a cross between a docudrama and Hacksaw Ridge! Real and raw with emotions and true life depiction of what all of our service men go thru with various degrees of severity. Now called PTSD, any service person, family and friends who want to get a better understanding of how people handle the horrors of war and life, which is not always shown outwardly but is carried inwardly, should use this movie as part of the heeling process. All the acting company did an outstanding job and Mike Markiwicz sealed the deal for me!!!