Though the film itself isn't critically acclaimed, critics have praised Jolie's directorial debut
In The Land of Blood And Honey. Some even compares her to the legendary actor-turned-director Clint Eastwood!
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Originally posted by MSN Entertainment
Angelina Jolie's "In the Land of Blood and Honey" is a surprising directorial and screenwriting debut, a film whose very setting and subject would challenge the skill and sensitivity of a master filmmaker.
Considering the historical, ethical and technical challenges in the mix -- a first-time director recreating a war of ethnic cleansing on a bombs-and-bullets level, with charged issues or power and abuse, along with the challenge of shooting in a second language in a foreign land -- it is not patronizing to suggest that Mrs. Jolie's first film is an ambitious step forward that promises more, and better, in the future. The film may have more in ambition than it does in execution, but it deserves to be taken seriously as a debut by someone who may yet be as natural and assured behind the camera as she seems to be in front of it.
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Originally posted by Time Magazine
No one should be surprised that Angelina Jolie is as capable behind the camera as in front of it; why wouldn’t she be? Here’s an Oscar winner who travels the world on behalf of the United Nations listening to horror stories from refugees; processing pain is a regular sideline for her. She has been directed by the likes of Clint Eastwood and Michael Winterbottom and partakes in domestic bliss with a man once known primarily as a pretty face but who has quietly turned into one of the best actors of his generation. And she’s smart. All the components are there. No wonder In the Land of Blood and Honey is the most compelling, heartfelt movie Jolie has made in years. She isn’t in it, but she’s all over it.
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Originally posted by Los Angeles Times
Unfortunately, "Blood and Honey" has script problems: Its core story is less compelling than its overall atmosphere. The Ajla/Danijel relationship is not always convincing, key plot points can feel contrived and the preponderance of Bosnian Serb bad guys comes off as schematic. To compare this to, say, Lu Chuan's equally brutal "City of Life and Death" is to see how far this film needs to travel.
Yet the fact remains that this is a first film and Jolie has accomplished a great deal in a difficult area. In interviews, Serbedzija, who has been directed by Clint Eastwood, has said Jolie reminded him of the great actor turned filmmaker. If things break right, perhaps a career like his could be in the offing.
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