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Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo directed just one film in his career, but it was a doozy: Johnny Got His Gun, Trumbo’s 1971 adaptation of his 1939 novel and a work that has long been considered one of the most powerful anti-war movies ever produced. Ironically, though, there’s very little war in it, and nothing in the way of blood and guts. Instead, what we get is the tortured tale of one Joe Bonham (Timothy Bottoms), a callow 18-year-old who goes off to World War I because he believes that fighting for his country is the right thing to do. But when an officer orders some men to leave their trench and bury a dead enemy soldier, Joe is hit by a mortar shell and left without arms, legs, or a face (he can’t see, hear, or speak). Doctors assume that his cognitive brain function is gone as well, but in fact he can still think, reason, and feel (figuratively and literally); as a result, he has been consigned to a life far worse than death. The film intermingles scenes of Joe in an Army hospital as he gradually comes to understand his circumstances (we never actually see him, as he’s covered by a mask and sheets) with the various flashbacks, memories, and hallucinations he experiences during that process. The former, during which Bottoms supplies Joe’s thoughts in voice-over, are in black & white; the latter, which range from childhood memories (Joe’s father is played by Jason Robards) to bizarre fantasies like playing cards with Jesus Christ (Donald Sutherland), are in color, bathed in a kind of dreamy glow that’s countered by a heavy and persistent sense of dread. To be sure, Johnny Got His Gun has its heavy-handed, pretentious moments. But this is a smart, disturbing, and somber film that stands out in a genre (i.e., war movies) that unfortunately is never irrelevant. An excellent batch of bonus features includes an hour-long profile of Trumbo (who was jailed for contempt of Congress during the Communist witch hunts of the ‘40s and ‘50s, then blacklisted by Hollywood), a new interview with Bottoms, a 1940 radio adaptation of the story (featuring James Cagney as Joe), and even the Metallica music video “One,” which features extensive footage from the film. --Sam Graham
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
good,
By
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This review is from: Johnny Got His Gun (DVD)
I RECEIVED WHAT I WANTED THANK YOUJoe Bonham, a young soldier serving in World War I, awakens in a hospital bed after being caught in the blast of an exploding artillery shell. He gradually realizes that he has lost his arms, legs, and all of his face (including his eyes, ears, teeth, and tongue), but that his mind functions perfectly, leaving him a prisoner in his own body. Joe attempts suicide by suffocation, but finds that he had been given a tracheotomy which he can neither remove nor control. At first Joe wishes to die, but later decides that he desires to be placed in a glass box and toured around the country in order to show others the true horrors of war. After he successfully communicates with his doctors by banging his head on his pillow in Morse code, however, he realizes that neither desire will be granted; it is implied that he will live the rest of his natural life in his condition. As Joe drifts between reality and fantasy, he remembers his old life with his family and girlfriend, and reflects upon the myths and realities of war. He also forms a bond, of sorts, with a young nurse who senses his plight.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Insightful View On The Horrors Of War,
By Dustin (Ontario) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Johnny Got His Gun (VHS Tape)
Personally, I enjoyed the movie a lot. It clearly illustrated the horrible nature of war and the negative effects it can have on individuals who fight for their countries. The only bad thing I can really say about this movie is that it is somewhat slow paced. It is a sad and depressing movie, but war is not exactly a happy topic anyway. The movie differs slightly from the book (although it was directed by Dalton Trumbo who wrote the book). In my opinion the book is almost always better than the movie, such is true in this case. I highly recommend watching this movie, but only if you have the patience to sit through a slower paced film.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
The more things change, the more they stay the same...,
By
This review is from: Johnny Got His Gun (DVD)
This movie is a relavent today as it was for the time it was written. Wether it was WW1 or Iraq, it speaks to the horror of war and the condition, mental and physical, that our young men face as they come home. It is a haunting film. As a Metallica fan, the video "One" always left me curious to see the movie and I was not disappointed.
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