A definite must-see for anyone who has just a hint of interest in war films

Rating: 8/10 (28 March 2005)

After having taped this film off TV, me and my father(who is about as anti-war as you can get, partially due to having a little experience as a soldier) talked about seeing this at some point. It didn't take much more than a few weeks before we decided to see it, and from the moment we put it on, we didn't regret the decision one bit. This film currently holds the record as the best war movie I've seen(before held by titles as Full Metal Jacket, and after that, All is Quiet on the Western Front). It's by far the most realistic and intense war movie I've ever seen, and up there as one of the most effective. Contrary to what I had expected, the better part of the movie is action and intensity. I was under the impression that most of it would be build-up and there would be one or two relatively short war scenes near the end. Or worse, half the movie would be the general and colonels talking about how to get out of the situation. Instead, most of the film is action, and almost all of it is realistic, too. This perfectly illustrates how intense and chaotic warfare is, particularly urban fighting. While this doesn't have the beautiful symbolism and strong message of All is Quiet on the Western Front, it does have the more accurate and disturbing portrayal of war. The plot is good, and apparently mostly true(though I don't know how much is shortened and such to make for more dramatic sequences at the cost of realism). The pacing is incredible. Never before have I seen so long and yet so captivating film. Even more so than The Godfather, I was glued to my seat, barely ever even glancing at my watch. The high level of intensity is kept through pretty much the entire film, from the beginning of the war-scenes that take up almost all of the film. The excellent editing and cinematography also contributes to this. The acting was great. The characters are well-written, though I suppose there are a bit too many to keep track of(though this is because we are introduced to all of those who played an important part at this battle), and not all of them get enough character development or screen-time. The effects and action are fantastic. Amazingly accurate to the real thing, as well. The details, however, are what make the film the nearly perfect piece of war film history that it is; you'll see so many things in this that happen in real life war that are usually overlooked or ironed out, for the people supporting war to keep face. Friendly fire, underrating the strength of your enemies, ignoring a blind angle for even a second... however, the film also has a sour aftertaste of Hollywood and mainstream film to it. This film isn't completely free of the ever-popular and completely ludicrous slow-motion shot of the heroic soldier running from one point to another, while under fire of several automatic weapons at much too close range, and coming through without a scratch. It doesn't hold true, it doesn't happen in the real world, face it. Near the end there is also a dramatic silence, despite the ease with which the enemy could attack our heroes... again, most likely done for effect, rather than realism. There's not much of it, but it still hurts the experience far more than it adds to it. I didn't see this film to see heroic, American soldiers do impossible feats; I saw it to see what by many is being referred to as the most realistic war film ever made. In the end, this still stands as at least one of the best war movies out there, despite some shortcomings. I recommend this to just about anyone who can stand the violence in it, which is quite uncompromising and real. If you're able to see this, and you're not deterred by the reasonably high level of graphic violence, you really should watch it. 8/10