A Classic

Rating: 8/10 (30 June 2006)

At the beginning of this movie it seems like it is just going to be another World War II movie, but it is not. There are no battle scenes; there are only stories of the events from overseas. Not many movies show the after effects of war. Many will just show a lot of violence to try to do better in the box office. This movie focuses more on a touching story. Also, for this movie to be released at the same time as many soldiers were coming home, it was not only a timely movie, but it must have been important to the soldiers for it to be accurate.
When we are shown Fred trying to catch a flight home in the opening sequence, he is not exactly welcomed with open arms. I can only imagine what that must have felt like to a returning veteran. Not only that, but also to come home and struggle to find a decent job and having no other choice but to return to work as a soda jerker would be a such a shame. That was hard enough for Fred, but Homer probably had it the worst. He came home with no arms and found his life was turned completely upside down because of it. I liked that in the end though things worked out for him. As for Al, he came home and had a pleasant family and his old job waiting for him. All three of them had different ranks from different branches of the military, but when they returned home they were just like everybody else trying to survive in the rat race, rather than the fox hole.
Even though it is definitely obvious that their paths will cross again early in the movie, I liked how the three stories intertwined. The film also builds suspense subtly, possibly without the average viewer even realizing it; like how we never see Homer's hooks uncovered until near the end of the film. Naturally, Greg Tolland does a great job in the cinema photography department. Deep focus is put to good use; they did not use it just because they could. The scene where Homer is playing the piano and Fred is in the phone booth in the background is a prime example. I also noticed a lot of creative shots done with mirrors throughout the movie.
I found this movie to be quite good overall. I usually do not like long movies like this unless there is something special or unique about it. What I liked most about this movie was good storytelling. That is what I always look for the most in a film and this one has it. I think the movie is deserving of the numerous awards it received.