Reviews

With multiplexes and video rental stores full of the latest special effects/music video extravaganzas, it is refreshing to find a film in which the characters and what they say matter. Limbo is another piece of evidence supporting the idea that John Sayles makes the most intelligent films in modern American cinema. In this instance, Sayles got career-best performances from Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. The same could be said about Vanessa Martinez, but it would be unfair to her, given the shortness of her film career. This is serious stuff, about people searching for something and finding each other -- maybe. The ending will probably detract from the film for some people, but it is a perfect counterpoint to the pat Hollywood ending. After getting to know the three main characters throughout the film, should we be surprised that they end up, well, in limbo?

Because of the star power and emotional power of its contemporaries -- Coming Home,The Deer Hunter, and Apocalypse Now -- Go Tell the Spartans gets little recognition. But it is truly a hidden gem. Set early in the period of American involvement in Vietnam, it gives us a more realistic portrayal of the complexities and contradictions of that war. Burt Lancaster is superb as the dedicated, yet tortured, soldier who must try to deal with a situation that he increasingly recognizes as being, at best, untenable. This film is worthy of the kind of special treatment and commentary that accompanies the "special edition" releases of quality films on DVD. No serious examination of the portrayal of Vietnam War issues in American films can overlook Go Tell the Spartans.