This film, while promising in the plot's development, in the end comes out as a bit of a hodgepodge, because it's based on top/down logic. Basically it's about a guy who's on his deathbed, and most of the film centers around an elaborate dream he's having as he's dying. What makes me feel so cheated by the ending is that in the dream there's this whole unraveling of a plot that's supposed to be centered around not just his wartime experiences, but what led to his death.
The problem is, it's ALL a dream! Therefore, you can't tie in a SINGLE thing explained in the dream to what's actually happening to him. The government testing drugs on its soldiers, well THAT'S neither here nor there, because the big reveal by the guy who developed the drug, he's just a dream character, i.e. A figment of Tim Robbin's imagination, so in the end, it's JUST about a guy dying from a stab wound, and the whole drug premise is completely illusory. I find overall, "mystery" films as a genre, films for people who absolutely LOVE twist endings, are basically for people with the sensibilities of a goldfish. You'll accept ANY twist that comes your way, because you literally can't remember the first half of the film, which COMPLETELY conflicts with the final analysis, and this film is no different in that regard.
The problem is, it's ALL a dream! Therefore, you can't tie in a SINGLE thing explained in the dream to what's actually happening to him. The government testing drugs on its soldiers, well THAT'S neither here nor there, because the big reveal by the guy who developed the drug, he's just a dream character, i.e. A figment of Tim Robbin's imagination, so in the end, it's JUST about a guy dying from a stab wound, and the whole drug premise is completely illusory. I find overall, "mystery" films as a genre, films for people who absolutely LOVE twist endings, are basically for people with the sensibilities of a goldfish. You'll accept ANY twist that comes your way, because you literally can't remember the first half of the film, which COMPLETELY conflicts with the final analysis, and this film is no different in that regard.