The War

Kevin Costner is the big name here, but the film belongs squarely to Elijah Wood, who plays his son. The film deals with the children of a Vietnam veteran in 1970 Mississippi; as their dad (Costner) tries to cope with posttraumatic stress disorder after serving in the war, the kids build a mammoth tree house in the woods--then must defend it against the local white-trash bullies. The film includes a particularly harrowing contest involving a swim across the reservoir of a decrepit water tower; still, director Jon Avnet can't avoid a certain "can't we all just get along" didactic message. That doesn't put a damper on the youthfully natural quality of the child actors, and Costner is actually quite winning as a sensitive, troubled soul. --Marshall Fine

Movie Details

Cast: Elijah Wood, Kevin Costner, Mare Winningham, Lexi Randall, Lucas Black
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running time: 126 min
DVD Aspect Ratios: 1.85:1

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DVD Features:

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen

International rating:

Europe: 12
Australia: M

DVD International release dates:
North America: Sep 2, 03

VHS International release dates:
North America: Jan 23, 96