Maybe young British actors are more masculine... less boyish then their american counterparts...

It felt different than US made war films IMO. Not necessarily better, but different. It's an interesting thought: I wonder how a US film made about British soldiers would come out? It's always a valuable thing to see how others see you. Of course, all these films portray the "enemy" from our perspective. It would be interesting to see a film made from the enemy's perspective as well. Ala Flag of Our Fathers/Letters from Iwo Jima....