real, frightening, important

Rating: Null/10 (4 July 2003)

This movie is a great spectacle. Since it is a true Kubrick film the score and sound effects are equally memorable and effective. As this is a war movie shot entirely from the ordinary soldier's perspective it is shocking. This is a result of true fear in the spectator's mind rather than explicit violence on screen. The presence of death feels real. The story unfolds without any waste of celluloid. Kubrick explains the logic of the characters out of the war-circumstances they find themselves in without establishing the characters over a feature length. Even when it is clear how the film would end after watching it by half, the story telling gains more momentum . Having seen this film only once on a big screen I was surprised almost everybody cried in that movie theatre with the story's unexpected epilogue. These final frames explain how and why millions of people would go out killing each other and on the other hand why they should not. This movie is perfectly understandable because it is brilliantly made in any way with outstanding actors. One may argue whether or not this is one of the best movies of all times. I do believe it is one of the most important movies of all times regardless of film making alltogether. Let me summarize: real, frightening, important.