As a moving testament to ruined lives, Crazy works only sporadically. Beyond any argument about style or documentary truth, the footage of worldwide chaos (Cambodia, Lebanon, Rwanda) is distressing and affecting. When you see people starve and suffer, your yappity little critics voice takes an overdue hiatus. The premise of the film is intriguing: soldiers describe their feelings towards their work and their sense of mission through a song of their choice, often one that they played during conflict to help them cope. The choice of music runs from the classical (Puccini's "Nessun Dorma") to the asinine (Guns 'n' Roses' cover of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"). The film gets really weird when the soldiers use increasingly banal pieces of music to describe some truly horrible situations. I know I shouldn't get distracted by a seemingly unimportant detail, but the documentary does make this its main point. What remains fascinating is how these men and women get through the day, using whatever they can to make it. Some feign affectlessness, while others still seem unable to deal with feelings of guilt and helplessness. The documentary is flawed and nowhere near as powerful as it could or should be, but it has its moments of insight nonetheless.Adam Rivett
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