Spielberg's best yet

Rating: 8/10 (17 September 1998)

Even with all the hype I had absorbed, I was not prepared for the brutality depicted in this film. Perhaps it is not possible to be prepared. Perhaps that is good. As I squirmed and cowered in my chair during the initial battle sequence, I was asking what now, where now before any of the characters did. I had become involved in the story emotionally without wanting or choosing to. I cared about these people and therefore when the plot threatened them, I felt threatened. When they relaxed. I relaxed. In that way, this film brought to me an understanding of war from the soldiers point of view that is otherwise impossible to get without being there. To me that is the measure of the film's merit. This is a great film, with subtlety and understatement sometimes lacking in Spielberg earlier films. I am heartened that a talent as technically adept as Spielberg is maturing into a true master of the art of film. Everyone who can stand it must see this movie.