Hollywood at war and the flaws

Rating: Null/10 (18 November 2002)

I was impressed with the trailer of this movie if only because we havent seen any decent WW2 flicks since SPR and Thin Red Line. It's almost hard to describe this as a war movie though because action sequences are limited. We have a memorable scene with the P-51 attack on a railroad site crammed with American POWs. Apart from the beginning there isnt much.

The storyline is rather weak and contrived as well. We have a US lieutenant acting as a lawyer for shot down black officer who is suspected of murder in the camp. Is it just me or is this ridiculous? First of all, its a German camp, do you think any Kommandant would allow such liberties as this trial? Surely any 'suspects' would have been hung or shot anyway. And the Kommandant himself, though very well played, smooth, charming, when we first see this man he is indulging in a bit of gallows humour (literally) then he seems to metamorphise into some sort of kind, chilled out Stalag kommandant who allows US troops to hold a trial! However, I did admire the effort to portray the white US troops as racist rednecks which many were. They were a lot more brutal towards black soldiers than the Germans ever were, both in this film and in real life.
The shooting the bread scene seemed quite unbelievable as well. The desire of the men to destroy a neighbouring shell factory seems silly as well, given the devastation of bombing already inflicted on the industries of Nazi Germany by Dec, 1944. The camp conditions seemed reasonably accurate. Lets not forget that American/British troops were generally well treated by the German authorities, unlike the poor Russians. Willis performed decently enough though I think Colin Farrell deserved a better script. why is it that theres no POW based films that can tackle a subject without having some grandiose escape/tunnel backdrop. Most POWs accepted their fate, particularly at this stage of the war We've seen it before in 60s war films. So a lack of originality runs throughout the film.
Plus points would be the dark, brooding atmosphere, helped of course by the eternal swish of snow and the gloomy Northern European winter. The uniforms and weapons seemed up to date too unlike past WW2 films where any old piece of kit would do (i.e. 1950s American tanks as Tigers in 'Battle of the Bulge'). A few decent action scenes at the beginning but disappointingly leading to a predictable (to me anyway!) ending. Still though, worth a look on video/DVD.