Effective but ultimately another exploitative piece from Spielberg

Rating: 4/10 (9 November 2002)

Seems like the Spielberg who gave us Sugarland Express, Duel, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T. has departed our company and has been replaced by a clone who is intent on exploiting human suffering in the name of art and the Oscar. Schindler's List was perhaps the worst example of this trend... followed closely by Saving Private Ryan. Both films were undoubtedly critical and commercial successes. But somewhere, something called a soul may be MIA amidst all the hoopla. Personally, I'd rather watch A Bridge Too Far (again), The Longest Day (again), Apocalypse Now (again), Full Metal Jacket (again), The Deer Hunter (again), and Paths of Glory (again) if I have to remember how horrible war is.