Moving, Stirring, Triumphant. 'Nuff said, yes?

Rating: 8/10 (18 September 2000)

THESE COMMENTS CONTAIN POSSIBLE SPOILERS! IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE, FOR GOD'S SAKE, PLEASE LOOK AWAY BEFORE YOUR RETINAS ARE SCORCHED BY THE LIGHT!
What a stirring, emotional picture this is. I'm sitting here trying to list all the different instances where I was genuinely moved. Granted, there were one or two instances where Spielberg poured on the emotion so thick you almost choked on it; Cinque's "Give...us...free!" scene is one of those overdone moments. But overall, this is an incredibly vivid experience no serious movie fan should pass up.
There are those who say the ending is so much of a downer that it put a damper on the entire film. My response: while I certainly didn't feel warm and fuzzy after the last scene, I still felt I had seen something important. There are some scenes which are difficult to watch, as they should be. But this should not dissuade anyone from giving this flick a shot. It is moving and disturbing and ultimately, despite the ambiguous ending, triumphant.