worthwhile...that is all

Rating: 7/10 (27 December 2005)

seeing this film again after many years,i am now aware of the weaknesses it has.the movie tends to fly all over the place-from the operating scenes(which are well done)to the "comedy",which in some cases is mean-spirited.although winning an Oscar for best screenplay,some of the script was apparently deleted during editing.it's pretty obvious early on that the setting is really Vietnam,not Korea,otherwise why all the irreverence and cynicism?one problem i had with the direction is with the characters talking over each other.although realistic it was at times difficult to tell what was being said.as a comedy it's a mixed bag-some scenes hilarious,some fall flat.also the football game seems to be tacked on(and takes up a lot of screen time to boot),as if the movie wasn't deemed to be long enough.overall,an enjoyable if somewhat dated film that has lost a little luster.