I am surprised though perhaps I shouldn't be by the rabid dislike of the film by some reviewers. Apparently any film which remotely suggest the existence of a higher being sets them off. I found the film to be rather fair, showing the offsetting views of Fr. Oliver and the atheist Mr.Hashimoto whose character is much more sympathetic than a Christian character would be in most other films of our day.
My problems with the film lie elsewhere. 1) David Henrie's character seems to undergo an enlightenment during the course of the film, but little explanation or cause is given. 2) Why does the father go to war when the son can't? His duty to his country? What about his duty to his family? What about the commandment: Thou shall not kill? It is assumed here that joining the war was the only thing to do. 3) The movie seems to indicate the dropping of the A-Bombs were necessary to end the war, this is nonsense despite what most Americans believe. 4) I should watch the ending again because it seemed like the mistaken identity was due to the fact Busbee carried his dog tags in his boots? This would seem to be both uncomfortable and most likely.
Sadly this had the potential to be a top-notch movie but falls short because of plot holes and ducking the hard questions. Some reviewers liked this film more than I did and I understand that. But if you are looking for a film to watch with your family this one is one of the more interesting ones because it raise some issues which you won't see in standard Hollywood fare.
My problems with the film lie elsewhere. 1) David Henrie's character seems to undergo an enlightenment during the course of the film, but little explanation or cause is given. 2) Why does the father go to war when the son can't? His duty to his country? What about his duty to his family? What about the commandment: Thou shall not kill? It is assumed here that joining the war was the only thing to do. 3) The movie seems to indicate the dropping of the A-Bombs were necessary to end the war, this is nonsense despite what most Americans believe. 4) I should watch the ending again because it seemed like the mistaken identity was due to the fact Busbee carried his dog tags in his boots? This would seem to be both uncomfortable and most likely.
Sadly this had the potential to be a top-notch movie but falls short because of plot holes and ducking the hard questions. Some reviewers liked this film more than I did and I understand that. But if you are looking for a film to watch with your family this one is one of the more interesting ones because it raise some issues which you won't see in standard Hollywood fare.