[Sproogle]

Band of Brothers, directed by David Frankel and Tom Hanks, documents the exploits of the heroic 101st Airborne division during World War II. They were the first troops in during whatever operation in which they participated, and because of this saw heavy casualties.
The series shows the unit participate in D-Day, where they parachuted behind enemy lines, The Battle of the Bulge, where they valiantly held out the city of Bastogne against heavy attacks, and Operation Market Garden, considered to be one of the biggest catastrophes of the war.
The casting is one of the series’ biggest strengths. There are no big Hollywood names, and the men portrayed are believable. They look and act just like an average American soldier during that time. The acting is raw, and the men do a good job of being shell-shocked soldiers that are just ready to go home.
The cinematography is also excellent. Pans are used to get the full feel of a battleground, and are useful for surveying a battle scene. The close ups are used sparingly, but are quite powerful when they happen. During some of the more intense scenes, the camera will shake and be splattered with mud. While this can be annoying in some films, and take the audience out of the action by confusing them, it works in this movie, since nothing is hard to follow, no matter how shaky things get.