A film for patients...

Rating: 9/10 (9 November 2005)

I saw this film with my girlfriend when it first came out and I couldn't believe how different our views were after leaving the Screen. To be quite honest, I wasn't really sure what I had seen in there until later that evening once I had processed the wealth of information that seemed to come relentlessly from the film.
Unfortunately my girlfriend has written off the film from the start due to the glut of long epic films that surrounded its time of release.
I feel that with films of this type a certain amount of patients is required to appreciate what a special film it really is. Personally I enjoy anything historic involving world changing events and I can't understand why anyone wouldn't? I found the level of detail, not just in terms of the events themselves, but the research/creativness that took place in building the Amry strategies and tactics was incredible, yet someone without an interest in this area would not have picked up on. I was also blown away by the incredible locations that were created, again admiring the eye for detail(Babylon comes to mind).
Theer were of course a few issues with the films, notably some of the acting I felt let the film down in some areas, but overall I cared for the characters and found them all to have a certain depth and authenticity about them.
In general, this film is not for everyone - evident by extremes in reviews given by various people. But if you give it a little of your time and look beyond the action, there is a depth there that can only be found in very few films.