Pearl Harbor

On December 7, 1941 Japan launched a surprise attack on the United States, which destroyed half the Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor, killed over 3,000 American sailors and brought our country officially into World War II. Director Michael Bay and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, the dynamic duo of guaranteed intensity and action, provide a comprehensive look at this historical day, bookended by a Disney-style soap opera. Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett star as two Southern studs who do everything together from becoming heroic combat fighter pilots to falling in love with the same woman (Kate Beckinsale). Alec Baldwin, a relentless naval officer, and Jon Voight, a strong-willed U.S. president, also add powerful performances to this emotional whirlwind of patriotism, nostalgia and love. However, it is the ingenuity of those behind the scenes who incorporated black-and-white documentary footage with a heartening soundtrack, state-of-the-art special effects and a thorough script that created this captivating epic for a record-breaking price of $135 million.