Brilliant war film, but it aint too bou cou

Rating: Null/10 (4 January 1999)

If, as some suggest, this film ended in the boot camp it would have been good, but not the brilliant film it is. The first half depicts savagery being instilled in young men, the second half depicts these same young men trying to keep their humanity in a savage war. It ends with a platoon of young Americans, having just witnessed the horror and stupidity of war, marching through a ruined environment singing a hyper-nice, hyper-American childhood song. Are these the killing machines created in boot camp? Are these boys trying to cope with war? Are these men blocking out reality? Are these men groping to hold onto some sense of identity, some sense of reason in a chaotic, senseless savage war?
M - I - C, K - E - Y, M - O - U - S - E ....