Respectful and well told tale

Rating: 9/10 (5 April 2015)

George Clooney the director displays one of the finest traits of George Clooney the actor: generosity of spirit. Just as he works well in an ensemble setting, not needing to dominate the screen, he also doesn't need to dominate the screen with look-at-me directing. No clichéd shaky cam, no clichéd fast cuts ad nauseum, no clichéd telling the audience where to look (how many thousands of times has a director zoomed in on someone's hands as they spoke? 20 thousand? 50 thousand? More?)
Instead Clooney trusts the story, the characters and the emotions to be the focus. He makes sure that each of the fine actors/characters in the ensemble has their own moments. He doesn't feel the need to fill up the screen with explosions and chaotic action. This ultimately makes the few scenes of warfare much more compelling. Rather than one more firefight we get two characters in a pastoral setting suddenly caught in the instant before a battle erupts. This makes the tragic death of one of them more humanly compelling. It also gives a stark human face to the bonds between comrades in wartime. (Bravo, John Goodman for a beautifully understated but gut wrenching display of grief.
This is ultimately an uplifting film that shows us the best of humanity in the worst of times. It rewards patience and deeper thought.