Pearl Harbor (2001) Cert 12. Director - Michael Bay. Writer - Randall Wallace. Starring - Kate Beckinsale, Ben Affleck & Josh Hartnett.

Premise - Set against the backdrop of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This is a tale of love, loss and friendship. Pearl Harbor is a long film. It clocks in at a but numbing 3 hours. However time never seems to drag. The first hour is concerned mainly with introducing the various characters. Ben Affleck the hot shot pilot who falls for a nurse (Kate Beckinsale), but leaves her to join the Eagle Squadron in Britain. Josh Hartnett, his best friend and also an ace pilot. Also in support there is Ewan Bremner as stuttering Red, Alec Baldwin as their Major, Cuba Gooding Jr as a black navy cook, Dan Ackroyd as a Navy code cracker, Tom Sizemore as an airplane mechanic and Jon Voight as President Roosevelt. The stand out of the first hour is the dogfight over the English Channel between Eagle Squadron and the Luftwaffe. This is breathtaking stuff, but merely a taster of the kind of action we are to see later in the film. It appears that Ben Affleck doesn't survive the dogfight. So when Hartnett and Beckinsale console each other they manage to fall in love. The second hour shows the return of Affleck and the attack on Pearl itself. This is the meat and bones of the movie. For around 45 minutes you are bombarded by some of the most breathtaking action set pieces ever committed to film. The effects really are out of this world. The entire movies 145 million-dollar budget is up on the screen for you to see. It's simply stunning. The third hour shows the training for and the retaliatory attack by B-17 bombers on Tokyo. It also wraps up the love back-story. This is a good movie. Really worth the effort. The love story doesn't grate and the leads are extremely watch able when on screen. All the support does well. Especially Jon Voight. His turn as Roosevelt is spot on, I hope he is remembered when the nominations for Best Supporting Actor are being dished out. The first hour is probably the weakest. They could have trimmed it and the third hour, but as I said. You hardly notice the running time. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of cheesiness. Makes a change in a big budget summer blockbuster. So, check it out. If you are planning on seeing this film don't wait for video. It demands to be seen on the big screen.