His name was Meier, like so many others

Rating: Null/10 (8 November 1999)

Since the Illiad, the theme of warfare epics is the objectification of the individual. This one meets that requirement by making the viewer get to know a bunch of regular guys, moving from the stereotype hotshots pumped from their easy victories to just trying to survive a desperately hopeless situation. And like so many (good) war movies, it shows how coming to terms with mortality can strip the bs away and let an individual be real.
As to accuracy - the friend who dragged me into it despite my distaste for blockbusters - noted that they even had the different boot height of the officers vs enlisted men right. The insanity of those extra two inches of leather becomes magnified when the starving soldiers find the "officers' club." That kind of subtlety is nice in a movie. It makes the point without treating the audience like idiots. Take a hint from the theater in which I saw it and start the air conditioning ever lower during the last half hour. See it in a good theater for maximum impact of the thunderous sound and blinding vision.