Review of Path to War

I haven't watched too many other efforts by Frankenheimer... unless I'm terribly mistaken, the only ones I have are his The Hire entry and Ronin. I keep finding myself impressed by him and seeking out what he's directed. The man did some mighty fine work(R.I.P.). This may be my first exposure to Gambon, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised. He really brings Lyndon to life, and there isn't a moment where he's on-screen that the audience is bored. The parts are all filled well... Hall, Sinise, McGill, Baldwin and Sutherland, heck, everybody, deliver impeccable performances. The editing and cinematography are remarkably well-done. The music, as with much else in this, is underplayed very effectively. The pacing is just about flawless. Coming in at almost three hours, it's never dull and almost invariably concise. So much is said through so little. Yet it never becomes overpowering, either. The writing and its high quality are consistent. From what I can tell, this is rather true to what happened, and certainly realistic. Not actually a bio-piece on Johnson, but more a drama focused on his involvement in the Vietnam war, the debates about what action to take. There is some language and dialog of adult nature. I recommend this to those interested in the subject matter, and fans of the film-makers. 8/10