hits home but Speilberg goes overboard

Rating: Null/10 (13 January 1999)

I don't consider myself a squeamish person at all but sitting through this movie became an endurance test for me. I knew when I walked into the cinema that this wasn't going to be a nice film but I was still completely shocked at the opening Omagh Beach sequence. I realise that some people need to see this film and understand that war is futile and horrific etc but I found being flung into the middle of the slaughter, surround sound full blast, quite a distressful experience. No wonder war veterans watching this film could only last 10 minutes. I know Spielberg has to hit home and it really does and I know that a lot of men died and how messed up and bloody the operation was but I knew that anyway and personally would rather not know what a person looks like when they are shot/blown up into little pieces. But despite that I'm glad in a way that I saw the film as I was with Schindlers List and can appreciate what the veterans went through for us and how grateful we should be. It's one of those films that isn't pleasant one little bit but you should see it anyway.