Could have been better

Rating: 7/10 (11 October 2001)

For a long time this was my favourite movie, though in comparison with Speilbergs SPR looks a little dated. It is the story of one Prussian officers quest to win the iron cross on the Russian front and his battle of wits with a battle weary Sgt. There are some damn fine action sequences in this film, in particular the tank assault and final scene (somewhat reminiscent of Peckinpahs Wild Bunch). Peckinpah makes good use of slow mo and with the use of fast editing highlights some interesting detail (the soldier been blown to pieces on the barb wire fence). However there is some dubious moralising along the way and a rather tedious, though surreal 'shell shocked' scene which bogs the film down. I bought this film on DVD and was disappointed with the quality. I have read this film was heavily cut and would be interested to see a directors cut. Having said that if war films are your thing, this is worth a watch. The Germans campaign on the Russian front is crying out for a decent movie, Enemy at the Gates certainly wasn't it, this is probably as close as you get for now.