War and Peace, Part III: The Year 1812

Taken on its own, part 3 of this insanely long 4-part epic may be the ultimate war movie. Without watching the first two parts, a viewer's emotional engagement to individual characters may be lessened, but there is still so much this 80-something minute film manages to say.

The dread of waiting for the battle to start, the scope of violence, the tedium and anxiety of waiting to be ordered into combat, and the horrors one is forced to confront in the aftermath are all so excellently conveyed.

On top of that, I lost track of how many shots I was seeing on screen that I couldn't believe I was seeing. I fear battle scenes in future war movies I watch may never live up to this one. It looks so messy and spontaneous, yet it's so excellently and clearly captured, and it's beyond me how this even exists.