Really good, but flawed

Rating: Null/10 (31 July 1998)

This is a very good movie. It depicts war in the way that General Sherman described it: all hell. There are some terrific scenes and a lot to talk about afterwards. There is a lot of gore, especially at the beginning, but I didn't have as much of a problem with that as I had imagined I would. Other scenes made me more uncomfortable (which was good; I should be uncomfortable with them.)
I had a problem with the present-day bookends; they were ok, but too sweet. And there were some places where I think the movie told us too much, which always seems to me like the easy way out. Show us instead! I had a line or two that didn't ring true for me; one was too modern sounding, too funny; I assume it was ad-libbed. There were a couple of details that didn't ring true. And there is at least one major detail that my coworkers did not get: is the guy who...the same guy who...the same guy who... or are there three different guys? Each of us sees it differently.
So--it's really powerful, and I think people should see it to get a feel for history. But it's not the best movie of the year; nor is it Spielberg's best movie. Truman Show is better this year, and Schindler's List is Spielberg's best that I've seen.