some glory but mainly horror in war

Rating: 8/10 (17 September 2002)

The best thing about this movie is the unremitting sense it gives you of the horror of war. True, war is also the occasion for great acts of bravery, but the glory achieved pales by comparison with the gore. There's still more than a bit of the usual Hollywoodiana at work here, especially since none of the guys who die are very well-developed characters, so the sense of loss is somewhat mitigated. Nonetheless, one might hope that the movie would serve as a cautionary bracer for those who are eager to go to war. (Addendum years later: I guess it should read now: "might have served". Obviously it didn't serve as the "cautionary bracer" I hoped for, since we invaded Iraq less than 1 year later.)