Disturbing and graphic to say the least

Rating: Null/10 (14 December 1998)

The beginning with the old man was so sappy and melodramatic that the scenes following were a complete shock. It went from after-school special to completely disturbing. I haven't seen a display of such realistic footage in any movie besides Schindlers List ever. After awhile the brutality gets to you where you just have to turn away. What's really sad is the fact that the soldiers on the field didn't have that luxury I had sitting in a movie seat. Besides that scene the movie turned into a flat boring mess. The acting left a lot to be desired as well as the storyline. I really don't believe that the movie would have gotten much hype if it wasn't for the direction of Spielberg and the opening scenes, minus the old man of course. You knew where Spielberg was trying to go with the story but he seemed to take you on a lot of unnecessary detours that could have got the viewer there 1hr earlier. Overall a disappointing film.