I decided to have a look at this film which spawned the hit tv series. It is quite different from the TV series and Altman's style of shooting (a kind of real life documentary style) is not quite my cup of tea.

Nonetheless I found this anti-war, anti-bureaucracy film quite good. It has a mix of humour and satire with a potent message about the reality of war. Altman is not afraid to show some blood and guts but I suppose that in making the film he is trying to capture some of the realism of war and of the people caught up in it.

The cast is good but I think the standout actor is Gary Burghoff (who also starred in the tv series) as Radar. I also liked Kellerman's portrayal of Hot Lips Houlihan in that her portrayal brought out the hypocricy between her words and her actions far better than did the tv series.

It would be interesting to see what would happen if this film was to be rereleased in theatres currently - perhaps a directors cut version, given the current political climate.

Verdict: 7 1/2 stars out of 10

PS small correction. The book was released in 1968, the film in 1970