The War (1994)

Name: The War
Director: Jon Avnet
Genre: Drama
Released: 1994-11-04
Duration: 2 h 6 min
Rating: 6.8
Cast: Elijah Wood, Kevin Costner, Mare Winningham, Lexi Randall

PG-13 | 126 min | Drama

An emotionally fractured Vietnam vet returns to his family in rural Mississippi, counseling his kids when they have to fight their own neighborhood battle. From the director of Fried Green Tomatoes.

6.8/10
12,132

Rate

Critic Reviews

View production, box office, & company info

Videos

Photos

Get More From IMDb

For an enhanced browsing experience, get the IMDb app on your smartphone or tablet.

Get the IMDb app

Cast & Crew

Awards

1 win & 3 nominations.

Reviews & Commentary

User Reviews

1 June 2000 | TxMike

The simple, unappealing name does not do justice to this fine film.

Who would want to see a movie called "The War?" Not, me, and that's why I only saw this 1994 movie tonight, on TV. And I was pleasantly amazed at how good it is. Costner turns out to have a very strong "supporting" role because the movie really is about Elijah Woods' character and the other kids who find out about the real war we human beings seem to fight daily. Excellent mix of humor, action, drama, sadness, and triumph. The "dare" scene inside the water tank was one of the more gripping I've seen in any film. I rate it "8" but almost feel it deserves a "9".

Feb 2006 update. I saw it again, on DVD, and most of the movie was fresh again. After Costner's character was faced with killing people in the Vietnam war, he fully understood that love was the only thing fighting for. This is what he was able to pass down to his son and daughter. As they say, in any 'war', even the ones we may fight with our neighbors, we always lose track of the real reason we are fighting and destroy the things we value.

Critic Reviews

Parents Guide

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Walter crouly home 12/14/63" is carved on the back of the chair on the front porch

Quotes

Stephen: I can't tell you never to fight, Stu. But if you want to know what I think, I think the only thing that keeps people truly safe and happy is love. I think that's where men get their courage. That's where countries get their strength. That's where ...

Goofs

When Stephen is telling Stu about his hospitalization, he says that the doctors diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress. That term didn't come about until Post-traumatic Stress Syndrome was included in the DSM-III, nearly ten years after the movie is set.