Customer Reviews

Straight Into Darkness

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have collected War movies since I was a teen. Now in my 40's I have now seen or own more war movies than most can imagine even exist. I thought Id seen every variation on a war movie you could do. Walking through Walmart a few weeks ago I stumbled across this and even though I had never heard of it decided to give it a try. I was impressed, to the point where I can't get it out of my head. What a jem! Maybe it does borrow a little from the Gary Sinise character in a "Midnight Clear" & certainly offers a little nod to "Castle Keep" but beyond that it is a truly original and surreal story that may not fully fall into place for you until the very end. It is an independent film with a bigger movie feel. (After "Saint & Soldiers" & this I think I could be hooked on Indie war movies).
Set in the winter of '45 the film adresses the horror of war from perspectives that you won't expect and leaves you questioning the motivations of those that choose to fight. An interesting twist is that it's Director is more known for Horror films. This may well be what drives its originality. I won't go into plot development because I believe the less you know about the story the more impact it will have on you. It is not an expensive film to buy, which just seems to add value to a quality film. It's not your run of the mill war movie; that may be more than some people can take. but it's so worth it in the end. Rent it or buy it, but don't pass this one by.

Director Jeff Burr may have defined a career trajectory point with his superb work on "Straight Into Darkness." Like Oliver Stone's "PLATOON" or Terrence Malick's "THIN RED LINE", Burr does not shy away from the graphic realities of war, nor does he skate over philosophical and character themes. As eloquently described in a current FILM THREAT feature story and review, Burr gets the most out of his cast, crew and concept and delivers that long sought after (but seldomly found) independent film treasure. Bravo!

I had the pleasure of meeting producer Chuck Williams the other day and he was very proud of this little film. I understand why. The movie is set in 1945 at the tail end of the war in Europe. The Americans and their allies have basically won, but not all the troops in the field know this yet. Two American deserters come across a group of freedom fighters that consist of two adults and several children. They are living in an abandoned building in the hills and survive by raiding Germans and stealing supplies. Eventually, a group of Germans surrounds the building and the group must repel wave after wave of Nazi soldiers. I will not give out spoilers, but there is a reason the Germans want to take this building. There is a real beauty to this film. The way it is shot and the music reminds me of early Werner Herzog work. For World War 2 fans, there is plenty of action as well as the Germans and children battle it out for the last 30 minutes of the movie. There is also a beauty to these children (many have some sort of war injury or birth defect) who begin to trust the American soldiers with their lives. This is a great surprise and blows away 90% of the sewage Hollywood churned out last year. Buy it.

This movie surprised me. I was expecting it to be dark (the title says it all), but there's a lot of light here as well. You'll find it in the spirit of the children who join forces with two American soldiers to defend their "castle" from the Germans. Scott MacDonald carries the action brilliantly with his wild-eyed Deming. You never quite know if or when he'll cross the line completely and lose it. And yet his humanity comes to the fore when it's crunchtime. Ryan Francis as his conflicted cohort provides the perfect counterpoint for the insanity that slowly surrounds these two. Director Jeff Burr adds a gritty layer to the scenes and settings in Romania where the movie was filmed. This one sticks with you for a while.

I watched this film really not knowing what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. The opening scene was powerful, several GI's in a jeep heading away from the front lines, they drive over a landmine. The Director--Jeff Burr really knows where to place the camera--he gets great coverage and you really see a lot of the work that goes into every shot, it is visually very stunning. The actors and situations were very well done. The characters were very disturbing and the film bordered between horror and suspense and the end packed quite a punch, with a lot of shooting and explosions. The most controversial elements of the film involved Roumanian children in the movie--but if you watch the documentary on the making of the film--it will open eyes to how this picture was made, and the documentary is very honest and tells you things that you would never have known.
I was changed after watching this film! Highly recommend if you like a little war, sprinkled with horror and suspense.

This is simply a great flick that tells a compelling story from a strong viewpoint. The acting is where it needs to be and the kids steal the show. If you like a story that makes you pay attention, then this film is for you. If you're not hooked after the opening, then you must not like good war movies. Jeff, this is one you should be proud of. It makes a statement...and a powerful one at that.

In light of all the books I've read and movies I've seen on the many heroes and common foot soldiers (also heroes in my eyes) of WWII, seeing the movie start out with a couple of American deserters, (one of them 82 Airborne!) immediately put me into a bad state of mind. The movie definitely has a European directed feel to it with a lot of heady, trippy flashback stuff going on to try and show us what was zipping through the depressed mind of the Airborne guy and his American GI "captor." There's also the interaction with civilian children and two adults banded together against the Germans. It all comes down to a weak last stand against the Germans only really seeking a loot of fine art in the basement of the building the Americans and civilians are all holed up in.
Some people may like the feel of the movie (those who know very little of what happened in the ETO) but I personally wouldn't watch the movie again.
Dark and uninspiring and bit strange.

Having watched The Outpost with Ray Stephenson I figured this movie would be on the same order. I was in error. One character is so bad that he tries to commit rape. The other tries to stop it and is beaten into unconsciousness. David Warner is probably the only saving grace of this film. The airborne soldier who deserts is shown as sympathetic. He accidentally kills a woman and child during combat. the rest of the story makes no sense. IMHO the movie is made to depict American soldiers as less than honorable.

I caught a little of this movie late at night on public television a couple years ago, and was captivated by what I saw. I finally got the movie recently, and really enjoyed it for its unique story and directing.

I bought this movie on a whim and when I started to watch it, I was somewhat distracted by its low budget nature, and for a certain sloppiness. Set in "Winter 1945," the movie has as one of its main characters a soldier from the 82nd Airborne Division, yet much of the terrain in the movie looked nothing like the terrain where the unit was at the time (how did all those mountains get to Belgium and northern Germany, for example).

However, the movie gradually drew me in and I began to forgive it its shortcomings as I realized it was actually a pretty intelligent movie. Moreover, it has a surprise or two in it for the viewer. The two main leads (the American soldiers) give good performances, and the children transcend their initial Tod Browningness. The ending is satisfying and after it was over I discovered I was quite glad I had tried it.

It is a movie that is very hard to pigeonhole or to neatly describe. It would have benefited from less genericness (in a number of regards), but it actually is a film that its director can be proud of. Try it; you might be as pleasantly surprised as I was.