it be 1974 and it star martin sheen . that alone say what to expect of this movie . and it be a movie . accord to the movie and slovik have reform and get a good woman and and do not want to fight . in real life and slovik may have be a naive innocent and or he may have just want to manipulate the system . whoever slovik be or wasn not be for history to decide and but this be a movie that deal with dessertion at a time when a country be question why it be fight and and the movie take side . with no regard to serviceman who be in viet nam either in 1974 ( a willie nelson would say and let tell the truth and it be about the viet nam war and not wwii ) and eoes be as propagandistic a gung ho be in the forty . accord to this movie and slovik state his position and plain and simple . he have a nervous problem . heck and i have a clinical nervous condition and and trust me and if i have do military duty and it would have be no problem for me to either just let my nerve go and fail at my task and get a demotion or put on kp duty or latrine duty with no problem . if we believe the teleflick and slovik do not have that option and no doubt because of his criminal history . whatever the viewer want to believe be up to the viewer . i have learn that movie from this decade or that decade and in deal with service or military duty and will pretty much take the same stance over and over . 1940s and 1950s and serve your country . 1960s and 1970s and mock your country . this be the history . the whole movie seem predictably hollywood to me . he refuse to serve and only when he be be strap up to be execute do he show emotion . such an emotional outburst could have easily work to his advantage in his declaration of his nervous condition and but obviously the movie want to show him a a human be and only when he be about to die do he become sorrowful . i be not a catholic and but i think the recital of the hail mary by ned beatty and sheen at the end and with the lord prayer and be funny a it sound like they be try to see who could say it fast . i do not see how this movie could be watch without realize it be aim at tricky dick nixon and the viet nam war . i hope it be all worth it for slovik and anyone who choose to follow his example .