The desire for most filmmakers, then, is to strike the right balance between the two, delivering a competent and compelling drama that's as much about the people fighting and, more importantly, why they choose to fight, as it is about the actual warfare itself. Most of the time, historical war epics are shooting for classic, high stakes, resonant drama the kind that produces a film-going experience capable of mixing a heavily cinematic depiction of war and conflict that teeters on the verge of spectacle, with a potent character study that makes the audience actually feel something for those whose plight is being depicted on screen.
