Its not that bad. But its not that good.

Rating: Null/10 (5 September 2002)

Contains Spoliers
In the current climate of war movies, nearly every war film has the same theme of brave soldiers facing unstopable and unpredicatble odds to face adversity. Perhaps Saving Private Ryan should take the flack for starting this. If we didn't the message that war is futile in Ryan, then we'll get it rammed down our throats in every other war film.
John Woo films are incredibly poetic and perhaps brilliant. And this has all of Woo's mannerisims and direction style. I think he's showed critics that he isn't just a one trick pony churning out the same old action film but with a different plot.
Sure the film is well shot and very poetic. Sure it has the Woo-isms of friendship, loyalty and the human spirit woven into the story. But, I dunno perhaps Woo's style doesn't fit the war movie.
Sure the constant ambushes and the contininous explosions became repetitive, tedious and even boring. But that was the point. Its a war, not an action film. It distracts you long enough from Cage's character still disappointed at losing his platoon.
Whilst we've seen this tired cliche done over and over and over again I think Cage handled it very well, until his *SPOILER* end scene where he goes into silly speak slowly whilst dying mode *END SPOILER*
War does things to many people. Some run and cry. Some just run. Some like Sassoon and Owen realise the pointlessness and just how tedious and brutal war is. This film doesn't show the pointlessness of war. Rather its brutality.
And whilst its commendable that Woo tackled a hard task such as the use of Native Americans in World War 2 I feel the film doesn't show both sides of the story. The Japanese or Japs come from all sides as if they are an invisible enemy or unknown enemy. They are human too.
There are problems to the film, things which aren't wrapped up. For example the nurse who writes letters to Cage suddenly disappears. The ending should have been with her. How does she cope with Cage's war?
This is an above-average war film with strong themes of friendship and loyalty. And perhaps you can see behind the explosions and the shrapnel to see the bad writing, the over the top acting of Cage and perhaps roll your eyes at how Cage doesn't seem to get hit whilst he takes out a platoon of Japanese soldiers.
Its not a forgettable movie, but perhaps the sequence with Slater's character being killed could be the one sequence that is probably remembered the most.
Overall: 6/10.