realistic, believable, perfect

Rating: 9/10 (26 September 2006)

The tension underlying this film begins with the opening sequence and is repeated over and over again. Of all the war films I have ever seen, I think this one captures the horror, the misery, the dangers, the surreal gravity and the relentlessness of war better than any other. The basic feeling is that no-one will get out of it alive, and if some of them do, it is not for cinematic but rather historical reasons.
If I really force myself, I can probably come up with one or two criticisms of this film, but they would be minor in nature. The sets, the cinematography, the script, the performances are all so perfectly executed that I cannot think of anything that jars... it all seems totally inevitable and perfect. There is nothing more to say!