Trilogy Week #30 - War Is Hell

Happy Memorial Day everybody! Today's the day we remember the ones who have lost their lives defending our country. So here's three movies about war, from three different wars.

Title: Saving Private Ryan

Year: 1998

Director: Steven Spielberg

Cast: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi

Rated: R

Running Time: 2hr. 50min.

My Review: This one is a hard one for me to watch. The way Spielberg shows the act of war feels so real to me, that every death makes me flinch. Especially the death scene of Adam Goldberg's character, and the battle of Normandy seriously shake you awake, and will be burned into your mind forever. The acting is fantastic to watch, even Vin Diesel is great. You couldn't ask for a better group of actors for this movie. The movie is a 10, but I gave it a 7 because it's hard to watch multiple times for how brutal the reality can get. 7 out of 10 letters home

Title: The Hurt Locker

Year: 2008

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Cast: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse

Rated: R

Running Time: 2hr. 12min.

My Review: From what I've heard this movie is one of the most accurate depictions of the war in Iraq. I don't know about that, because I've never been there, but I do find this movie highly intriguing. It's so fascinating to watch has they walk towards live bombs. You watch like a fly on the wall as they try to disarm these homemade bombs. Their is so much intensity that you can even feel the sweat on their brows. 8 out of 10 bootleg dvds

Title: Full Metal Jacket

Year: 1987

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Cast: Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey, Vincent D'Onofrio, Adam Baldwin

Rated: R

Running Time: 1hr. 56min.

My Review: My favorite of the three. This one is like watching two movies in one. The first half is very funny, the way it depicts boot camp. Then it pushes you back into reality with the suicide of private pyle, and we are shoved into the middle of the Vietnam War. The two memorable actors have to be Vincent D'Onofrio (who gained 70 pounds for his role, beating Robert De Niro's record of 60 pounds for Raging Bull.) and R. Lee Ermey, who was a real drill instructor, and most of his dialogue was improvised.  9 out of 10 bars of soap in a sock