As anti-war as all the great ones, this forgotten Francis (Ford) Coppola drama deals with the psychology of being caught up in the war as seen by veteran soldiers and officers like James Caan and James Earl Jones, young officer hopeful D. B. Sweeney, and the women in their lives (Angelica Huston, Mary Stuart Masterson and Lonette McKee), starting and ending in that garden of stone where victims of war end up. After the opening cemetery scene where Masterson is presented with supposed widow's honors, the film flashes back to introduce the viewer to Sweeney, turning down the opportunity to guard the president so he can see action in Vietnam. Jones and Caan, friends of his late father's, provide paternal guidance, and Masterson a necessary comfort as the beginning of their relationship is explored. Not really the type of vehicle that creates juicy acting for the leads, but the viewer gets to feel that they've come to know these people, and like them, flaws and all.
The early days of the romance of Caan and Huston is also explored from how they meet in their building's foyer, her reluctance to trust him, and how that blossoms into a sweet relationship. Jones and McKee, already married, are established as the grounded couple who provide the perfect guide of a relationship to look on as how relationships grow and maintain sustainability. There's also Dean Stockwell, Dick Anthony Williams and Laurence Fishburne in smaller but important roles. Word of mouth on this film must have caused it to not succeed because there's very little action, and as a character driven drama, it's more psychological war than physical although there is a brief segment that dramatizes the action overseas. This may not be the most exciting war movie ever made, and the anti-war statements simply just seem to be mocking certain military behaviors and activities, but as a tribute to the loss of human life through war, it's very touching.
The early days of the romance of Caan and Huston is also explored from how they meet in their building's foyer, her reluctance to trust him, and how that blossoms into a sweet relationship. Jones and McKee, already married, are established as the grounded couple who provide the perfect guide of a relationship to look on as how relationships grow and maintain sustainability. There's also Dean Stockwell, Dick Anthony Williams and Laurence Fishburne in smaller but important roles. Word of mouth on this film must have caused it to not succeed because there's very little action, and as a character driven drama, it's more psychological war than physical although there is a brief segment that dramatizes the action overseas. This may not be the most exciting war movie ever made, and the anti-war statements simply just seem to be mocking certain military behaviors and activities, but as a tribute to the loss of human life through war, it's very touching.