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It is set during the battle of Hurtgen Forest, a particularly bloody battle in American history. Focusing on lowly Private D. Manning, the film begins as he carries the only other man from his platoon that wasn't massacred through the misty woods. Nobody except him knows what befell the unit, and frankly nobody cares, as he is immediately, against his will, promoted to Sergeant and sent back in to the "Death Factory" with a batch of fresh recruits. For him, history seems to be repeating itself, certain that these youngsters are soon to die as well.
If Private Ryan's style of shooting evoked combat footage, this musters something of the feeling of war photography, framing the story neatly and functionally, and often fading into sepia tones like O Brother, Where Art Thou? Directed by John Irvine it bears resemblances to Hamburger Hill but certainly stands on its own two feet.
The strength of the film over others is the central character's ambiguity. Is he a reluctant fighter, some sort of lucky freak, or just a plain heartless coward? It is certain, however, that this man is no hero.
The cast is completed made up of unknowns, none of which have really got anywhere since which is unfortunate as the acting is largely strong. Where the film fails, inevitably, compared to Ryans' big-budget spectacle, is its action, shot more traditionally. But don't miss it- this is a benchmark for how TV should be made
The film itself portrays a campaign which itself was overshadowed by the 'Battle of the Bulge' although it claimed the lives of thousands of Americans. The film itself avoids a hollywood style affair and also uses a mainly unknown cast yet the acting in the movie is consistently spot-on. The camera angles used also add to the films quality.
Overall this film is perhaps the hollywood blockbuster that never was combining the gritty detail of 'Saving Private Ryan' with the emotional struggles portrayed in 'The Thin Red Line'. I recommend that you buy this spectacular film and I'm sure that you will find it a great movie.
By Ed Hughes (15)
The story itself is fiction and follows pvt Manning, the sole survivor of his group as he must lead new recruits into the meat grinder and is promoted against his wishes. Many of his comrades consider him to be flawed and question why he is alive when everyone else is dead. The new recruits must learn fast or die. So even if the story is fiction it tries to capture the spirit of the battle and its message is War is Hell.
War movie buffs will like it, attention is given to detail and even though it is a television production there are a lot of extras making the scenes convincing. Special mention should go to Martin Donovan as Capt. Roy Pritchett, pvt Mannings Company Commander. An intelligent man who sees the futility of the battle but must soldier on and push his men into the meat grinder while he wants nothing more than to keep them alive. A very strong preformance.
The script is well written and has connections to older war movies that some may spot and the story progresses well.
I enjoyed it and thought it was good and it has a worthy place in my collection.
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