Freddie (played by Joaquin Phoenix) returns from the war, undergoes tests and is told, along with other vets, to "find a steady job." "I read a lot of stories about these guys in the war who were great soldiers because they liked having a master... a commander telling them where to go and what to do. When they came back and didn't have that, they hungered for it again. They just needed someone to tell them what direction to go, particularly if a natural direction for them wasn't to raise a family. They didn't have anyone to kill or beat up. They needed someone to point them in the right direction." -- Anderson to Total Film The Weinstein Co.