Moving

Rating: 9/10 (18 June 2000)

This is a good film, primarily because of Tom Hanks' subtle ability to portray a man who is tough, hard, and duty conscious, and at the same time compassionate and human. This character reminded me of Hanks' portrayal of Capt. Miller in Saving Private Ryan. A few scenes are grisly, but the tone of the film is generally positive, and several scenes are surprisingly moving. The supernatural powers of one character stood out strangely in a film that otherwise seemed to be dedicated to harsh reality, but I suspect that was intentional, for contrast, and it worked.
One detraction was that I had a nagging suspicion that Hollywood was once again taking an opportunity to promote it's sociopolitical views, on capital punishment, race, and regionalism, but maybe I have become over-sensitive to this issue. At least they did not bash Richard Nixon, but then, it was set in the 1930's.
Compared to American Beauty, this was a better film. I gave it a 9 out of 10.