The War (1994)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

just watch it!

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

This film really affected me emotionally since the first time I saw it. I began to wonder how come it didn't make more noise than it did in the box office. Movies like this are certainly not every day commodity in Hollywood. It is perhaps Kevin Costner's best role and the most serious one as well and came at the end of his golden era, which in itself is rather poignant when you think about it. It also stars now-internationally famous Elijah Wood and the less famous but equally capable Lexi Randall as his children. The movie is set sometime in the late 60's/early 70's in the South of course.The War that the title refers to is not just the Vietnam War which Costner's character has just returned from but also, in his case, the war to win back your respectability and status. And that's really what this film is about-everyone's fighting for status and respectability. Wood's character faces a struggle in form of the nasty Lipnicki boys who bully and harass everyone who approaches "their" territory around the reservoir with the water tower. He fights to keep his right to go there against overwhelming odds. His sister Lidia befriends two black girls and is therefore seen as a pariah among other white girls in the school and has to fight for status and respect, while her black friend Elvadine does the same but against even worse odds. Costner is struggling to find a job after not being able to get back to his old one and this struggle makes him very frustrated. But he never retorts to violence, except when the equally nasty father of the Lipnicki boys physically threatens his son. Yet he takes pity at his motherless children and treats them kindly even after they hurl verbal abuse at him. It is a really emotional, at times heartbreaking movie, especially since the ending is rather tragic. Lidia provides the narration which enhances the dramatic effect of the film. Costner's touching speech to his son against violence and fighting is also one of the film's highlights and underlines the pacifist message of the film. It's a shame this film wasn't seen by more souls, otherwise maybe the world would be at a better state than it is. This movie should be shown every month on TV if it was up to me. It is about finding out that fighting never solves anything, unless it is fighting against injustice and with words, not fists or guns.

Jon Avnet's 1994 flick 'The War' begins well, has a nice hearty message to convey and great performances working for it, but it's screenplay goes for a toss. The final 20-25 minutes are flawed, and one wonders was this drag even needed? 'The War' tells the story of a family, who are not in the best shape. The head of the family was a part of the Vietnam War, his wife suffered, and their kids are warring with their fellow aged people.'The War' has a wonderful first hour, in fact the portions between Elijah Wood and Kevin Costner are memorable and highly emotional. And their performances elevate those sequences. But the writing gets very weak in the final 20-25 minutes. It loses the pace completely, and even the honest moral the film tries to convey goes over-looked. The writing should've been more sharper! Jon Avnet's direction is decent. The dialogue at places, are lovely. Cinematopgraphy is perfect. Performances are top-notch: Kevin Costner and Elijah Wood are via for top honors, for their 'Tour De Force' portrayals. Mare Winningham and Lexi Faith Randall are excellent as well.On the whole, an honest film, that gets chum-bled up towards it's culmination. Nevertheless, it easily stands as a one-time watch!

I watched The War last night for the second time, having loved it the first time. Maybe then I was too young and/or naive. But what I didn't realise then I realise now; this is sentimentality equally mixed with childish comedy. The two obviously don't mix.Stu (Elijah Wood) lives in a poor, rundown little village after the Vietnam war. His father (Kevin Costner) suffers from trauma after some harrowing memories, thus making him fit for a mental hospital, when he's supposedly out looking for work. Stu's mother (Mare Winninghams) stays at home, whilst Stu's sister (Lidia Simmons) stays out helping Stu to build a tree house. Sets the scene, doesn't it? But there are complications. The rough-n-tumble Limpnickies hate it when the others steal property from their rundown little "area". Thus unfolding a chain of events that will leave you in disbelief at how mushy and sentimental the film is.It has its strong points, however; the script (though truly abysmal at times) seems to be quite balanced throughout the film, and the acting and emotions conveyed particularly from Elijah Wood are something special. But all in all, the silly comic streaks unbalanced screenplay leave this with a just over average mark.Final Analysis: 6 out of 10

The title is both apt and, from a marketing point of view, unfortunate; The first time I saw this movie was in an almost empty theatre. The only other viewers were adolescent males drawn by the title looking for explosions and action. Again because of the misleading title an appropriate audience was absent, except perhaps for me. There are at least 3 wars represented in this film, but none of them involves screen action of the sort desired by those young men.This could have been SUCH a good movie if it had displayed the sort of integrity it advocates. If you believe in doing the right thing for its own sake - that humanity is redeemed daily by the billions who get up and do their best to respect the needs of others when making each choice - then this movie will resonate deeply with your own internal war to "do the right thing". It begins by showing clearly how ordinary people can succeed heroically or fail tragically, why it matters and how it differs from "the American Dream" of material reward. To a large extent this plays out with satisfying complexity, but unfortunately yields in two points (which I may not name for fear of "spoiling" the outcome) to the American desire both to equate justice with material reward and to regard Tinkerbell / Angels / magic as meaningful agency in the world. Those flaws aside, this movie is very, very well done. Everyone should see it.