Cheap The War (DVD) (Elijah Wood, Kevin Costner) (Jon Avnet) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of The War

Are people really so mean to one another? Adults will stand by while a child gets beaten by a gang? People will purposefully ram other cars when they break down in the road? Children will fight and do life-threatening dares for property? You bet. This reality was what made this movie so compelling and unique in a world of bland, "let's not be controversial" movies.

It isn't perfect, by any means. It's too long, has too many sub-stories to successfully complete them all, and is downright cheesy at times. But in terms of acting, Costner combines the haunted vet and nuturing father together believeably, and all the children are well done (there are some great faces, really interesting to look at). The most interesting relationship was between the three girls: a relationship which succesfully merged race, strength, loyalty, and good old fashioned girliness. Elijah Wood also has some truly great moments.

The children's war was horrifying, and by far the best part of the movie. I couldn't look at the screen the first time I watched it because it was so disturbing (not because it's violent, but because it's kids who obviously don't realize the seriousness of the situation). It's a really good piece of work, transitioning from innocent to vicious so smoothly the viewers don't consciously realize there was even a shift. Very very well done.

The thing I like about The War is that I still find myself thinking about it weeks later. Not so much about war itself, but about children and growing up, and losing the things you love. Only good movies make you do that.

Flawed, but a good addition to a family's collection
Depending on your reason for watching or buying this movie, it's either a 3 star (average) or 5 star (good deal). This is a movie I wouldn't rent for pure entertainment, but one I wanted to own as part of the family library.

The object of watching this particular movie isn't entertainment, but education. If you put aside the second storyline in this movie (Kevin Costner's war vet psychological flashback bit), it becomes a great movie.

The second plot - perhaps added because the filmakers thought adults needed something grown-up to entertain them (the movie would have been fine without, as was Stand By Me) or maybe added to make Costner's role a bit meatier - actually takes away from the movie's tone and clear message. War is a dangerous solution to problems that could be dealt with in other ways.

Set in the South sometime in the 70's, Elijah Wood and his siblings are in the midst of an on-going battle with neighborhood bullies, whose father is a racist and bully.

While the father struggles with the aftermath of being a failure at war - the bullies and their dad label him as a coward, and in their view, he supports this by teaching his kids that fighting isn't the way to solve problems (although in one scene he loses it for a moment) - the kids begin a small war over some turf they've built with supplies pilfered from the bully dad's junkyard.

The highlight of the film is the kids battle, shown in slow motion and with sound effects of a real war, which make it clear that we're comparing this dangerous fight the kids are having with the external war their father fought.

The attempt to give almost equal play to Costner's inner struggle takes away from the movie, if you're looking at it as a pure entertainment piece. I push it aside as a minor annoyance, and my son focuses on the kids.

It is in our family library because we like books about war that can be viewed by the family and encourage conversation. It doesn't have to be perfect (and the acting and filming in this movie are well above average), it just has to help with the family dialogue!

The War is a great film!
It's a great bit of nostalgia about a low income family's struggles in the South around the time of the Vietnam War. There are many things going on. A father who returns from the war disturbed, with lingering emotional problems. White and black children playing and growing together, puzzled by the concept of racism still lingering. A feud with a trashy gang of kids from across town. The desire to move up in the world and find better living conditions. There's heartbreak, suspense, and some comedy. Breathtaking scenes of the rural south where you can almost feel the heat. Characters that seem very real. Elijah Wood is fantastic and his accent sounds authentic. My only complaint is that he was a positively GORGEOUS boy at the time, like a piece of fine art to look at, and they shouldn't have sheared all his beautiful hair off for this role. It's supposed to be 1970, not 1953! Most boys didn't have crew-cuts in 1970! If he'd had hair in this film like he'd had in 'The Adventures of Huck Finn' the camera would've exploded to bits from his physical perfection as well as his flawless performance!