A corporal and her dog

Moviegoers love war heroes—better yet, war heroes with near-supernatural abilities. Megan Leavey, based on the true story of a young woman who became a dog handler in the Marines, doesn’t have the flash of Captain America: The First Avenger or Wonder Woman. Lest we forget, though, real superheroes often wear drab uniforms.

Megan Leavey (Kate Mara) is struggling to endure her dreary job, overbearing mother (Edie Falco), and deadbeat stepdad and the death of her best friend. At age 19, Leavey joins the Marine Corps to start a new life. She has trouble adjusting to military discipline, but gradually proves herself, earning her way into the prestigious role of a handler of a bomb-detecting German shepherd, Max.

In 2005, Cpl. Leavey and Max are deployed to Iraq, where they carry out dozens of successful missions. The first to penetrate unexplored buildings and sniff out suspicious vehicles, Leavey and Max save the lives of their comrades many times over. But seven months later, an IED explosion seriously wounds the two.

In the second half of the film, after rehab for both, Leavey decides not to re-enlist. Max is sent to Afghanistan with another handler. The separation crushes her, so she undertakes a new mission—to bring Max home and adopt him.

Viewers don’t have to appreciate Megan Leavey the film (rated PG-13 for war violence, language, and suggestive material) to appreciate Megan Leavey the soldier. The film’s acting is unremarkable, and its tone detached. But maybe director Gabriela Cowperthwaite is draggy to a purpose: The ordinariness of her heroine comes through loud and clear.

Megan Leavey is no Wonder Woman. But anyone who for sake of friend and country stands a dog’s leash away from hidden bombs is no ordinary hero.