14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasing But Improbable War Film!, September 10, 2002
This is another in a series of recent films that seem to be less interested in plot plausibility than with getting a great ensemble cast together to spin a decent yarn. For me the problems with the plot here really strain the credibility of everything else, and although I liked the performance of all concerned, I found myself impatient at points because it all seemed far too contrived. Having said this, the acting is uniformly good, and I found that to be the one redeeming feature of the film.
Colin Farrell is especially good here, and acting out the title role lends credibility and verve to the film. Likewise, Marcel Lures does a good job convincing us he is indeed an evil and manipulative Camp Commander. Bruce Willis is also terrific as the by-the-book West Point graduate and Prisoner Commander who must decide whether or not to intercede to save Hart from his existential situation. Given his willingness to let one man die for the good of many, the choice he must make is by no means a foregone conclusion.
The action sequences are extremely well choreographed and photographed, and while the plot reels from happenstance to happenstance all too conveniently to be believed, the film is entertaining and intriguing in bringing up social issues one does not ordinarily think about in terms of the Second World War. While this isn't intended as a serious drama, it is a good action flick that will keep you entertained if you don't allow the potboiler plot to get in the way. Enjoy!
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24 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Read the book, miss the movie, June 24, 2002
I really enjoyed John Katzenbach's novel about a murder trial set in a German POW camp during World War II. The story moved well with good, three dimensional, characters. I was excited when it was announced that the rights for the movie were sold.
I was somewhat apprehensive when it was announced that Bruce Willis was starring in the movie. This is not to say that I don't like Willis, just that there wasn't any character appropriate for him in the book... When I saw the trailer for the movie I was totally turned off by all the explosions. It appeared that a tight courtroom thriller was turned into "Die Hard". The trailer turned me off and I never went to see the film in the theatre.
I finally saw the movie this past week and I discovered that my apprehensions and refusal to see the movie in the theatre was right.
"Hart's war" is not a terrible movie - it's not great with good visuals and a comparatively weak plot (probably three stars). The problem is that the movie states that it "is based on" a great book and virtually none of the story was passed from the book to the film. Somewhere in the adaptation, Hart's character is no longer a drafted law student, there is suddenly _two_ black airmen (the book only has one) and the movie's story is more about hurting the German war effort - not about finding a murderer. None of these changes help the story and, to be honest, the movie's plot really doesn't make a lot of sense.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Compelling Drama sabotaged by Marketing Campaign that tried to make it an Action movie!, August 19, 2005
I finally got around to watching this movie last night (after buying it for $4 on DVD a few weeks ago) and I can say I was very pleasantly surprised by it after reading so many negative reviews.
The Problem: This film was mareketed poorly - the trailers give an accurate idea of the content, but they give you the wrong impression as to the tone. Because Bruce Willis is in it, they chose to make it out to contain tons of action and heroic combat! They also chose to make it appear to be a Bruce Willis vehicle. Let me tell you, if you are renting or buying it for either of the above reasons, you will hate it! The "combat action" scenes are sparse (two scenes) and extremely short (though very exciting when they do occur. And Bruce Willis is really a supporting actor to Farrel - in fact, of the major characters, he probably has less screen time than anyone else, and is rarely seen outside of Farrel's perspective.
(Also, Americans seem to reject the idea that Nazis in an interrment camp could have had a shred of civility. Perhaps this film gave them a little too much credit - but I think that even as evil as they were, not all Nazis were inhuman brutes.)
The Good: So, the first thing you need to do is lay aside your expectation of a SAVING PRIVATE RYAN or GUNS OF NAVARONNE type movie. This is a drama! And it is a very good one. There are several layers to this story - one is that of Lt. Hart's (Colin Farrel) need for redemption after an early failure in the film. His assignment to defend the falsely accused marine gives him that chance. The main story is the trial of a marine who asserts he was framed for the murder of a fellow marine in the stockade. Farrel quickly learns that the cards are stacked against him as the presiding officer McNamara (Willis) seemse bent on a guilty verdict. This sets up some very tense confrontations between the two.
Adding a second layer to this drama is the apparently misunderstood character of the commanding Nazi officer Werner Visser. Visser represents an aging officer who has wound up in a remote post and seems to have accepted this lesser role. (Someone commented below that his "nice guy" attitude would not get him far in the German Army - ahem, well, I think that's the point - that's why he's watching over a camp rather than storming the frontlines!) He is a foil to Willis's McNamara, who wants nothing more than to get back to the war. The confusion as to why Visser suddenly wants to help Hart is that people perceive this as Visser suddenly becoming the nice Nazi. Well, anyone paying attention can see that Visser is ONLY motivated by getting back at McNamara. Hart is a convenient tool to do so - but there is not fondness for Hart from Visser, as you will see by the film's end.
The third layer is that of the racist motivation behind the original crime. Two of the confined officers are African-American, and they are portrayed in a very heroic light here - but the white enlisted men are very prejudiced to their presence (this is the 40s, remember). This gives ample opportunity to see racism as it truly is - these are fine outstanding officers, but their contributions are ignored by those who only see the color of their skin. Someone said below that the film portrayed the African-American soldiers as Spineless and hapless - I don't know what movie he saw, I think the film COMBATED this misconception!
Combining these three threads takes a skillful director, and Hoblit shows himself up to the task. The film never loses momentum, but switches nicely between the various threads. The writing is crisp, the cinematography is appropriately drab and dreary in its own beautiful way (love the light beams coming through the barrack windows) and the few actions scenes keep the excitement level high. All told, this is an excellent movie, and one I am proud to own - it's a shame more people will miss out on it because of the critics who didn't get it.
The Bad: That is not to say it is the perfect film. I did have a difficult time following alot of what was going on for the first hour, but near the end, when a plot twist was introduced, much of these scenes made more sense. Also, some of the dialogue was either poorly recorded, or poorly delivered. But, my main gripe was covered above about the misleading marketing of this film.
The Summation: Think of it as a combination of THE GREAT ESCAPE, A FEW GOOD MEN, and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - with the final sum being just a few notches below each of these titles, and you'll get an idea of what you're in for . . . give it a chance!
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