I saw this exceptional film last night, and decided to take a peek at your review.  With all due respect, I do think you missed the point.  It is difficult to watch, because war is hell. I cannot imagine a worse place to be, because there wasn't.  For a young man, a conscientious objector, to go through the eye of this needle, this insanity without a weapon, and come out of this battle rescuing 75 men, would be ludicrous, if it weren't true.  It is Gibson's genius in the telling that leaves you with the strong dis-taste for war at all.  Which I do believe is his point. An aside that another brilliant anti-war piece, maybe the best of all time, is Ralph Bakshi's "American" Pop."  Not to be missed.