The Big Red One

Samuel Fuller - 1980 - The two and a half hour, reconstructed version
This is really a marvellous film. It puts to mind 'The Thin Red Line'; this is perhaps a better war film, though 'The Thin Red Line' is more than a war film; but then it is at its weakest when it goes in for the metaphysical speculation. If we're contesting, Fuller wins.
This film is pretty no-nonsense, straight down the line. We don't go in for a huge fuss over character psychology, it seems more about the general experience of war. It is episodic, but each one becomes its own little world, source of fascination in the cameraderie and arbitrariness of death.
It doesn't use consciously poetic or beautiful devices (unlike Malick), but its images are always fine; notably certain very strong lighting patterns, colour saturation especially in an early scene by the sea, and a general care. Fuller really uses most framings, along with his usual montage of face-close views we also have more longer stuff than what I have seen before. Perhaps this film gets less of its effect from 'purely cinematic means', and is more concerned with the shadings of a story. It's not a complete masterpiece; but it is damn good, it tells much about war.
Fuller's shooting of action also deserves mention; yes, the montage is fast, the space unsure in the explosions. But he keeps the camera still, and each image, though unorganised, has an individual power to it; a body close, action further away, for example.
And one final word; I'm with Fuller in being anti the voiceover. On a couple of occassions it helps the understanding, but otherwise rather obvious.
There are some great scenes here, for example of the childbirth. Fuller doesn't seem to condone some of the G.I.'s mysoginist or rather unpleasant attitudes, though that could undermine things. There is a lot to say here.