Decent flick (contains spoilers) the 'speeches'....

Rating: 5/10 (4 July 2012)

...became weirder and weirder. Sean Penn turns in a very good performance as all do in this film. The problem is periodic 'reflections' engaged in by a number of the actors. The most egregious was when Penn begins a spiel to a soldier early on in the movie was almost court martialed for being AWOL. He's given one more chance as a stretcher bearer and, in that effort, after a brutal failed counter-attack by the Japanese, Penn begins to lecture him on the meaningless of: war, life, etc..
What is galling is that you would never see this speech in any film up against the Nazis because for libs that's the only war that ever should have been fought.
Mallick had better get off his back side and produce more films because his skill set is wanting - he's still resting on "Days Of Heaven" and the 'JD Salinger' recluse act is a stretch.