If ever I needed convincing that Nicholas Cage is a great actor and human being, it is in this role and the brilliant performance of Birdie himself. If ever good can be portrayed as coming out of bad, it is the deeply moving message and point of making a movie like this. Who needs convincing that war is evil, that life is cruel and that love conquers all its madness? Who can even begin to understand the torment of post-traumatic stress? Those who perpetrate suffering not only to humans but animals alike can never have the empathy that defines us as human. On many levels, the story and how it is told, speaks to the heart and we weep in sympathy for the pain of those who suffer whether from mental illness, bullying or the unspeakable abuses of war. Where have all the great movie makers like Alan Parker gone? There is nothing but fake, shallow and profit orientated products that mirror the fake, shallow and insecure "virtual" relating that goes on today. For that I weep. It has created a hunger deeper than that suffered from starving Biafra.

Over 2 hours of film ending with 2 of the lamest 2 jokes. "There wasn't anything I wanted to say" and the suggestion he had tried to fly.Nothing happens of any significance and the story of what broke birdy was covered in literally 30 seconds.In short Mathew's obsessed with birds and his life was rather dull before he turned into a mute. Cages character is of a cool man about town who's character wouldn't have spent a minute hanging around with Modines unless they were stuck on an island, even then I wouldn't bet on it.I guess you're supposed to think at the end of the movie they are going to go back to acting like teenagers again ?

I think I first watched this on cable back in the 80's and liked it a lot but I'm not sure I appreciated it until I recently saw it again. The first time I was about 18 and enjoyed the bond that these two buddies forged from what seemed like important events in high school to more daunting issues that soldiers have to face and resolve. Plus I had a couple of friends in high school that reminded me of these two...one the affable Italian ladies-man and one the somewhat eccentric who fights for what he believes in. After this recent viewing I appreciated the acting, cinematography, and story-telling much more. This film deserved more commercial accolades but maybe that's the penalty you face for flying out of the mainstream.

A special trip beyond masks and illusions, innocent lies and slippery politeness.A film about truth and its orations, about the honest manner to live and to trust, about the cruel relation with the past and about refuges.Fight against the Angel and image of world.The passages of memory and recreation of golden age.Exploration, with depressing flavor, of a fragile way, touching corpses of dreams, waiting and deconstructing old facts in a personal puzzle.It is not a film about pain, desire, war, mental illness or friendship. It is not a Vietnamese drama or film about birds."Birdy" is pledge for discover the sense of yourself. A beautiful trip in the nooks of innocence and appearances, a form of spell without magic lights.Birdy is Don Quixote ,prince Myshkin or Oblomov. The passion for birds is not a hobby or mask of frustrations but only manner to escape beyond an unintelligible universe.The interpretation of Modine is brilliant. And Nicholas Cage- great actor in the skin of a delicate character.Splendid film and object of profound reflection.In fact, instrument of catharsis.