Brilliant (In every respect)

Rating: Null/10 (17 January 1999)

Firstly, I must say that I was shocked at a lot of the comments here on this site regarding this movie. If you love and know film, it's beyond me how you can not see that it is brilliant, across the board.
What better directing can one ask for? How could one ask for better acting? The cinematography was enough to make you feel you weren't watching a film, but were experiencing it!
I only wish we could have more talent out there to pull together make what I just witnessed tonight.
As far as the plot goes, there was not a beginning, a middle and an end. It was a view into how so many men, being faced with identical circumstances, handled their experience; their actions, reactions, resolve, acceptance, denial, bravery, fear, motives, beliefs (in mankind and in the hereafter).
There was the insight to certain mens thoughts as they experienced being in their situation; how it made them feel. There were scenes of blood and guts, which is the reality of war. The scene where a squad of men first went out on scout. They came upon two men lying in the tall grass, blown apart from limb to limb. It was very quiet and still. The camera went to their different faces. These men HAD to accept what they were seeing. The camera picked up the great acting these men did when they showed their disbelief. You could see and feel that they knew up on the hill, they could be looking just like that.
The acting was brilliant. Nick Nolte gave an extraordinary performance of a West Point grad that would do anything to have a "win" so he could climb the ranks. He was willing to sacrifice any number of men to get it.
Sean Penn was fantastic. He portrayed a man that had a very soft heart, but wasn't going to let anyone (or himself) know it. Keeping the hard exterior was going to keep him safe and sane.
There are too many actors in this film to go on about. They were superb!
If you didn't like this film, then I don't know what would make you have an appreciation for the art.
Bravo to Terrence Malick for this directorial masterpiece.