A war film that, entirely aware of its genre's conventions, transcends them as it transcends the simplistic moralities that inform its predecessors, to take the high, morally haunting ground.
100
TNT RoughCut
TNT RoughCut
Spectacular, wrenching masterpiece that unflinchingly documents the random horror, the grisly spectacle and the ugliness of war.
100
San Francisco ExaminerG. Allen Johnson
San Francisco ExaminerG. Allen Johnson
The effect is riveting and frightening. You feel you are under siege with the combatants.
A bitter, bloody masterpiece with adrenalized emotions and hyper-realized images, this is perhaps as close to battle as any sane human being should ever hope to tread.
The movie's greatest strength lies in phenomenal performances that reach from the leads right down to the smallest supporting roles.
80
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
If Steven Spielberg's emotional intelligence matched his visual genius, his honorably flawed new film might qualify for one of the greatest-ever American WWII movies.
80
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
Steven Spielberg's new film begins as a monumental epic; then it diminishes; and, by its finish, is baffling. [August 24, 1998]
50
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Nothing that suggests an independent vision, unless you count seeing more limbs blown off than usual.