A film far above the vast majority of its viewers (myself included)

Rating: Null/10 (28 December 1998)

This is a truly exceptional film that is, at times, difficult to watch, and really is not for everyone. I would recommend that viewers think twice about why they want to see it and what they want to see before going.
This film differs from Private Ryan in that SPR focused, as Spielberg always does, on the personal stories of a few individuals, whereas this film visits its set of characters here and there, leaving the film about all of them, and war itself. I found this method more effective, as the Speilbergian method leaves me feeling "Well as long as Tom Hanks is okay, I don't care who gets killed." This film also does not glorify war the way SPR did.
This film gets very intense at times, and for long periods I had to look away. While SPR's message about war was "wasn't it terrible, there were bullets everywhere! You could get killed!" This film shows large numbers of people made psychotic by what they experience, and if you're following the film, it really is harrowing.
The film doesn't focus on many individual characters, but the most finely drawn here is Nick Nolte's, and Nick does a truly incredible job with his part here. The introduction to his character features Travolta is a tiny but necessary cameo, and this scene is played against Nolte's bluster for the rest of the film. Wow, Nick. I would hand him best supporting actor right now, if I thought the academy were that savvy. I hear he's even better in "Affliction." Elias (hot) Koteas is also great, as is Sean Penn and Ben Chaplan. George Clooney shows up for literally 30 seconds, but he's always nice to look at, at least.
This is a very complicated film, full of ambiguities and, I would suspect, far above most of the people who will watch it (including myself-- I don't pretend to understand the half of it). So, if you find yourself wanting to say derisive things about its tone, metaphors, symbology, or seeming lack of focus, just remember that it's often better to keep quiet and let people think you're ignorant, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. Have a happy day!
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