Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Trying To Out-distance Fate., December 20, 2001
Although the superficial theme of this film is young love, the heart of the film is in the subtle ways that Henry (Sean Penn) tries to come to terms with the harsh realities of his impending military service. Henry knows that, in less than a year, he will probably be on some remote Pacific island, fighting one insane Japanese soldier after another to the death. While he has no idea of the horrors to come, he definitely feels a sense of impending doom. The movie's most telling scene is after Callie (Elizabeth McGovern) is angred by Henry & Nicky (Nicolas Cage) when they make fun of their school's emergency preparedness drill. Callie takes Henry to a veteran's hospital, where she delivers library books to soldiers recovering from amputations (and likely worse). Henry is visibly scared at the sight of these guys, not much older than he is, who will now go through life with a new, horrific perspective. After the visit, Henry becomes angry with Callie. He shows her - and the audience - that bravado DOES have a place in dealing with impending terror, and that there are many ways to look at the complexities of war. At the end of the film, when both boys jump on the train that may take them to their deaths, the resilience of the human spirit goes with them, and they impart some of their courage to those left standing at the station. A classic film, with a timely message.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
About friendship and a hazy future, September 18, 2005
Uneven but generally engaging movie set in northern California in 1942 that is concerned with two 17-year-old boys about to join the marines and their last month at home together. Both boys (Sean Penn and Nicholas Cage) have an amorous entanglement with different girls - Penn's leading to love (with Elizabeth McGovern), Cage's to an unwanted pregnancy and abortion (with Carol Kane). There isn't very much to the story, which leads to some unfortunate filler, such as a sequence in a pool hall where the boys try to hustle some sailors. But the movie gets across very well, and without bashing us over the head about it either, that these two guys are very good friends and, since WW II is going on, just may never see each other again. The romance between Penn and McGovern is poignant in its innocence, and there's just a nice feel-good quality about the whole thing. The settings are great, too, with careful attention to details shown. Worth a watch.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hard to forget and worth owning..even in VHS, June 20, 2004
This movie has been a long time favorite of mine though not available on DVD. The story is touching and a particulary poignant look at young men who were raised on patriotism and are headed off to war, a reality of which they know little. The cinematography and actors make you long for young love and being caught in the rain and in more serious moments you feel the pain and peril of a illegal abortion and how cold and hard it is to dig a grave in Spring. Elizabeth McGovern is hauntingly beautiful. Penn and Cage show the promise of talent we now consider legendary. On a telling note, Sean Penn's child shares the nickname of his character. In contrast to another reviewer, I too see this film differently now then I did when I was younger. However, the "skin" and other adult themes added dimensions that expanded for me as I get older. If you don't buy it at least rent it while you still can!
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