starts out great, but turns into an exercise in endurance

Rating: 4/10 (11 April 2001)

I had high hopes for this film, and for a while it looked like I was going to love it. The first third of the movie or so is very entertaining, on several levels. I called my brother about 45 minutes into it and told him "you gotta rent this movie!!" Then it just petered out, but still dragged on (and on and on) for two more hours. When the movie ended I called my brother again and said "nevermind."
I felt like those guys in Swingers on their drive to Vegas.
If you're in the mood for a GREAT non-US movie about a family dealing with the effects of war and political upheaval on their lives through the decades, skip this one and check out the Chinese "To Live" with Li Gong. That's also a relatively long movie, but you'll find yourself completely wrapped up in it & entertained (as opposed to thinking "HOW MUCH LONGER CAN THIS DRAG ON???" like I was during "Underground")