clifford mccarty called this film the "most lyrical of war films" and i tend to agree. the only other war film that i can think of as being this slowly paced and thoughtful is another milestone film (all quiet on the western front) which is longer and more of an anti-war film than this one. it's not that this film was a pro-war film at all, but i certainly didn't get the distinct anti-war sentiments that i got from watching all quiet on the western front. death is treated in an understated manner throughout the film. there are only two battle to really speak of and a few men die with hardly more than a word acknowledging that fact. their deaths are not treated as examples of the horror of war, nor are they treated as martyrs for which the war must be continued, and won. it was an unexpected element coming from milestone. i've seen the film before, but i sort of slept through it the first time and didn't retain much. the majority of the film is spent on the time between battles and mission objectives. we get to know the soldiers in a way that most action/war films don't approach. the dialogue is both naturalistic and philosophical. in some ways it's one of the most realistic war films i've seen. B+.
Review of A Walk in the Sun
