Better than expected

Rating: 7/10 (23 July 2011)

*may contain spoilers* I enjoy war films and ones that portray the German experience, and I'm not all that sure this one is aiming to do that. It may be, but it didn't feel authentic. It was very entertaining, however, and that is due to the supporting cast. Thank you so much for casting Thomas Kretschmann! I would have much preferred more screen time with him rather than Cruise. They should have switched roles. Sometimes a less well-known (or a less crazy) actor should play a lead. That said, I thought Cruise did okay. It was odd to see Eddie Izzard and Bill Nighy in this film-usually they are goof balls or offbeat characters. Seeing them trying to be more straight characters is a weird experience. The ending was quite unsatisfactory-maybe I missed something? What happened to the Colonel's wife and kids? It didn't quite fulfill my need for a war film, but it didn't totally flop on me either.