For war-movie aficionados, a personal epic...

Rating: 6/10 (22 October 2006)

Director Steven Spielberg's usual homey touch (which infiltrated even "Schlinder's List" in its final act) is thankfully in slight evidence here, as WWII soldiers attempt to locate one particular man whose siblings have all been killed in combat. The set-up for the plot is a bit formulaic (and layered with Spielberg's need for romanticism), but the very fine performances and exhaustingly exact scenes of violence remain haunting and memorable. Vivid cinematography and frenetic editing won Oscars, as did Spielberg (who deserved it). I was rather surprised by how powerful this movie is, given the feel-good reputations by many of the principals involved. I'm not a lover of this particular movie genre, but the film pulls no punches in detailing many unrelenting scenes of battle. *** from ****