EXCELLENT - and GORY - Blood and Guts War Film!!

Rating: 9/10 (15 June 2002)

Intense fighting, and blood and gore, highlight this excellent depiction of one man's personal crisis amidst the chaos of America's invasion of Japanese-held Saipan in 1944. The movie does indeed rock, and Cage is very effective without being over-dramatic.
True it is that the U.S. Marines used Navaho-speaking soldiers to keep secret their messages in the Pacific in World War Two. The Japanese could never decypher them. But it is not true that Marines, such as Nicolas Cage's character, were assigned to not only be bodyguards but to assassinate them in case of imminent capture during combat. That is the premise of the film.
Cage meanwhile is haunted with the horror, and guilt, of having had all his men killed in an earlier battle; besides that, he is plagued with hearing loss and lack of balance from his injuries. Entering the scene is the very upbeat Navaho code-talker played by Adam Beach. Due to his own demons, Cage is unfriendly and standoffish to the newcomer whom he has to guard - and maybe kill.
As the gruesome and gory combat progresses Cage becomes more and more psychologically and physically tortured, although he does show signs of humanity. The Beach character stands up for his Navaho heritage against one prejudiced Marine. It is only after the terrible death of his best friend, the other Navaho code-talker, that Beach finally gets the killer instinct he was so lacking. It might seem a little pat, but is entirely logical. This all results in a final crisis for him and Cage in the last battle of the film.
There are plenty of fights throughout the movie; you do not wait ninety minutes for something to happen like with that bomb "Pearl Harbor". Don't go out for popcorn.
Swedish actor Peter Stormare (Steve Buscemi's crazy partner from "Fargo") plays the Gunnery Sergeant in charge of the platoon; there seemed to be no officers around except to hand out medals. Stormare's accent is a little off, but he's good and intense, and lean and mean.
My biggest complaint about the film is the absurd way Cage can fire a burst from his Thompson sub-machinegun, or several rounds from his .45 pistol, and half a dozen Japs instantly are hit and come tumbling down the nearest hill. Cage never misses; the Japs are terrible shots, and none too good at hand-to-hand combat either. Man, they get bayoneted easy!
But those are minor complaints. Overall, this is one good war film, and in many wats reminiscent of the 1967 Cornell Wilde/Rip Torn film "Beach Red", or the original "Thin Red Line" from 1964, both of which deserve to be rented. Same applies to Buddy Ebsen's "between Heaven and Hell" from 1956, and 1950's "Halls of Montezuma" with Richard Widmark. Fine films all, and all better than the introspective and moody "Thin Red Line" remake.
NINE OUT OF TEN!!