pacifism vs violence

His films consistently explore the futility of violence and the possibility of peace through understanding, most notably in Princess Mononoke and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

He systematically dissects the machinery of war and violence across multiple films (Dr. Strangelove, Full Metal Jacket, Paths of Glory), exposing its absurdity and human cost.

His meditative approach to The Thin Red Line presents war as a spiritual and philosophical crisis that questions whether violence can ever be morally justified.