The first half of the film...
Was wonderful, some people argue that it was too slow and/or boring and pointless, and i highly disagree with this statement. The first half of the film was very important to show how the characters survived in a dry, empty wasteland.
There are no jobs, thery are low on food, low on money, and the prices for everything are up the sky. That is why they are desperate to get out, risking their very lives is better than rotting away from hunger and boredoom in a dirty corner. And most importantly, it introduces how the characters are in a deep, brilliant way.
*Mario is a young, disrespectful foul-mouthed man, but he has the guts and courage enough to do anything in order to return to France. A real though bastard.
*Jo is an old ,arrogant man who pretends to be brave, manly and classy. In realithy, he is a nostalgic coward, desperate to get out of the hole.
*Luigi is a friendly, kind-hearted kinda guy who sometimes acts violent and rude to survive, even when he doen't wants to hurt anyone and prefers to get along with his relatives and friends (remember his dialogues after theexplotion).
*Bimba is a man that has seen the worst things the world has to offer, many times life has turned it's back to him, but even so he still wants to stay calm and civilized. He doesn't has anything at all, that's why he's capable to do anything.
The characters feel real and coherent, the situations are brutal, the stress is high, a trully timeless masterpiece.