First Gulf War veteran Denzel Washington wrestles with his personal demons while investigating the worthiness of pilot Meg Ryan for a posthumous Medal of Honor in this rather self-important drama. Edward Zwick's stylishly directed tale attempts to be Rashomon for the 1990s, though the drama - has there been a cover-up of the real events? Were those brave American soldiers in the Iraqi desert killed by "friendly fire"? - and the strong performances from Washington and Scott Glenn combine to make this seem more incisive than it really is. Ultimately, it looks good, sounds noble but rings a bit hollow.

A US Army officer, who made a "friendly fire" mistake that was covered up, has been reassigned to a desk job. He is tasked to investigate a female chopper commander's worthiness to be awarded the Medal of Honor. At first all seems in order. But then he begins to notice inconsistencies between the testimonies of the witnesses...