Great movie! Contrasts of beauty and horror.

Rating: 10/10 (26 November 2005)

This is a great movie! Acting, scenery, battle scenes, death and dying, music, etc. The music makes the movie - being a cross between a funeral dirge and beautiful, peaceful island melodies. The calm, peaceful narration by the various characters is as powerful as the music. It reminded me of another great movie in the way it was inserted into the movie, and that was American Beauty. Contrasts exist between the horror of war and the beautiful islands where it occurred. Contrasts between the peaceful villagers and the hardened combat veterans. Contrasts between those with courage and valor and those without. In battle, everyone is afraid (or stupid), but some face it and go on and some cave in to it (been there, done that myself). Contrasts between the still-fighting, faceless Japanese soldiers and the Japanese wounded and prisoners. Many contrasts, many messages. War is horrible, but it is fought by humans or one race or another. There are leaders such as the Captain played by Koteas, and leaders such as the Colonel played by Nolte. This movie presented the human side of war. Whoever wrote those reviews saying there was no combat in this movie must have slept through it. To say this was not a war movie is unbelievable to me. It it is not the greatest, it is still right there with them. Yes- Private Ryan, Full Metal Jacket, Platoon, Apocalypse, etc.