Authenticity counts

Rating: 9/10 (10 July 2000)

Way too often, war movies tend to go the heirarchical route, i.e . - Well Meaning, sympathetic, Generals stooping over maps, sending young men to their deaths against the ruthless enemy, with it's own team of ruthless Generals and faceless young men who are protrayed as robots to be destroyed for our entertainment (thereby distorting history and realism in favor of sensationalism). I like this movie and I liked the book as much as Catch-22. It destroys every illusion of a glorious, theatrical war. The frequent celebrity casting might be distracting, but the realistic action sequences and cinematography are absolutely stunning. For anyone who wanted to gauge the deeper psyche of fighting men, from the petty ambitions of the officers to the fear and self-sacrifice of the NCO's, this is the movie to watch.