Vastly superior to Saving Private Ryan

Rating: 10/10 (1 August 2000)

Saving Private Ryan got all the hype, received all the nominations and won all the awards yet somehow this masterpiece slipped through the net virtually undetected. This is a trip through the minds of a collection of increasingly desperate and maddening men as they fight for a hill on an island in the middle of nowhere. This is done cleverly as a voice over, a film making technique that can often be difficult to fit with the rest of the film. The director here submits a perfect example of how to use the voice over to your best advantage. The setting is beautiful and peaceful and yet manages to be both ugly and lethal as well. The acting from all corners of this massive cast is never less than impressive and judging by the number of minor roles filled by A list actors I'd say that it's a script a lot of actors wanted to get in on that a lot of Hollywood studios did not. Woody Harrelson is worthy of a particular mention in the minor role department. Nick Nolte is nothing short of excellent as the desperate commanding officer charged with a virtual suicide mission. Elias Koteas, Jim Caviezal, John C Reilly, John Cusack, etc... everyone excels in their parts helping to make this a far more human drama than Private Ryan could ever pretend to be. The camera angles are frequently chosen to place you as one of the men fighting for their lives making this an exhilarating watch, I only wish I'd seen it in a dark movie theatre and not at home on DVD.