This movie deserves MORE recognition than Hollywood has given it!

Rating: 9/10 (24 June 2005)

Prior to watching this movie, I had expected it to be just another WWII movie depicting bloody, disfigured soldiers squirming around in agony and soldiers ceaselessly firing their rifles in most of the scenes, (i.e. Saving Private Ryan). But I was pleasantly enthralled by the realism and humanistic emotions that the characters displayed in this movie. The director and the actors did a fantastic job portraying unexpected emotions that I, as a viewer, would not normally see nor expect in a war movie. I was actually touched by the personal conflicts and friendships that these 5 main characters shared. There were even a few witty moments in the movie, particularly between Winley and Kendrick, that I really enjoyed.
I was even more impressed that this movie had the look of a 'big budget' film when it was completed with only a budget of a little under $1 million dollars! (Thanks to a group of extremely talented and creative people, CGI was not needed!)
Aside from the occasional "mumbled, incoherent dialogues" and the disproportionately loud sound effects, this UNDERRATED movie deserves MORE recognition from Hollywood than it has gotten from the various film festivals! This "sleeper" of a movie should NOT be missed! I highly recommend it!