Painful experience

Rating: 4/10 (6 June 2001)

When I first heard this film was being made I was thrilled, but as rumors circulated, I began to fear this was not a war movie but a love story set around a major historical event (a la Titanic). Unfortunately, my fears proved correct. This is not a movie about Pearl Harbor (though the battle scenes are generally well done, even though there are far too many shots of modern ships being attacked for my tastes). Rather, it is a movie about a rather contrived love triangle, in which the only semi-appealing member suffers the worst fate. At just about three hours this film is at least 45 minutes too long, with an ending that appears tacked on. 4 out of 10.