Review of Johnny Got His Gun (2008) by Rodney S — 18 Oct 2009

This 1971 masterpiece, written and directed by Dalton Trumbo, should IMO be on just about everybody's DVD shelf. It's hands down, the best and most disturbing anti-war film ever made, and the DVD issued this year is exceptional.

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I saw this on first release at the theaters, and it completely blew me away. At the heighth of the Viet Nam war, Trumbo decides to make his directorial debut by making his famous book, that nobody thought could really be made into a movie.

Timothy Bottoms in his first role, portrays Joe Bonham, a soldier in WW1 that loses both legs, both arms, and his face, but is kept alive laying hopelessly in a supply room away from all the other injured soldiers.

His life, is memories of his past life all played out, along with his fantasies, flowing through what is left of his brain. The movie draws you in, then because of Joe's story, keeps you mesmerized while stunned, very interested in everything that is going on.

His breakthrough of being able to communicate with morse code by banging his bandaged head on his pillow, and then the ending which keeps repeating Joe's wishes as the camera slowly rolls back and then fade to black, almost causes the viewer to stop breathing for a few seconds.

It is that strong, unforgettable, and a stronger statement against war has never been made. When Metallica made the video for their song "One" which features scenes from "Johnny Got His Gun" in 1981, a whole new generation was exposed to the movie.

It took a while for it to be released to DVD, but it was this year, and it is definitely a must-have. The extras include a documentary on Dalton Trumbo that is very very interesting, as well as the original James Cagney radio broadcast, and the Metallica video.

A superb DVD package for one of the great American movies of all time.