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6/6/2001

Pearl Harbor stars Ben Affleck as Rafe McCawley, Josh Hartnett (Jan-Micheal Vincent look alike) as Danny Walker, Kate Beckinsale as Evelyn Stewart, Cuba Gooding Jr. as Doris "Dorie" Miller, Alec Baldwin as Jimmy Doolittle, William Lee Scott as Billy, Jon Voight as President Franklin Delano "FDR" Roosevelt, Greg Zola as Anthony R. Fusco, Ewen Bremner as Red, Jamie King as Betty, Catherine Kellner as Barbara, Jennifer Garner as Sandra, Michael Shannon as Gooz, Matthew Davis as Joe, Mako as Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, and Dan Aykroyd as Jesse Thurman.

Pearl Harbor is a film that tells a very predictable, tear jerker, love story, as well as the Day that is remembered in Infamy. As noted by others, this film takes longer than the actual attack. As a film that tells the story of a very familiar and often depicted event in world history, it is not bad, however, it is not great either. The dialog is very sparse and maintains its PG-13 rating to make more money. In fact the term Japs is used only 2-3 times in the film. Historical inaccuracies abound, "Relax kid it's only a movie!"

Pearl Harbor starts with our heroes playing in an old airplane, while one of their father's is crop dusting in a bi-plane. (No it's not homosexual, it has two wings.) The friendship between the young boys remains into Army Air Corps flight school. They are as close as best friends or brothers could be. Rafe, who has looked out for Danny all his life volunteers to go to Britain and fight against the Germans prior to any involvement by the United States in World War II. On the evening before Rafe leaves he meets Evelyn, a Navy nurse on leave. They are smitten with each other, only to be separated immediately by war. While Rafe is Britain, Danny and Evelyn get stationed in Hawaii.

Sound familiar? It should, it is the plot to many war movies. Pearl Harbor gives us nothing new. It is a simple well acted love story with a predictable twist. But then I think I've seen that somewhere, too. The attack scenes in this film are excellent. The explosions, planes, ships, and chaos are very well exhibited. There is a little of something for everybody, a buddy flic, a love story, and great fireballs. The only thing that did not need improving was the fireballs. The other aspects of this film could be better.