As an avid war movies fan, I was stunned by this down-to-earth story. I would recommend this one instead of watching boring documentaries. It is a great lesson in story-telling as well...the simple truth is the ultimate scenario. The title itself does prepare us for this journey from human to animal. Never in the movie does the animal part become surreal, just plain realistic, which sets is apart. I would go so far as to say it took the opposite road from "Apocalypse Now", no lyricism and theatrics. Isn't that the ultimate "tour de force" in movie-making ? To be able to tell a story, so visually that you feel the action, but even in black & white picture and stereo sound, it would be as powerful... The director is definitely to be reckoned with, I am now quite intrigued by his filmography.