Customer Reviews

Hart's War (Widescreen)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

HART'S WAR had potential. The last months of World War Two as a backdrop with demoralized GI's crammed into an overcrowded POW compound. If this picture was soley about the hardships endured by surrendered soldiers during the Battle of the Bulge, then it could have had a chance. Instead the film makers took on too many plots and subplots. Unintentionally the movie borrows from SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE, A SOLDIER'S STORY, THE GREAT ESCAPE and STALAG 17. A cardinal rule in war films is that the premise has to be simple. In HART'S WAR we find some good elements lost in a virtual Mulligan stew. In the story Colin Farrell's character, a rear echelon lawyer, accompanies another officer on what he thinks is a joyride. Unfortunately for Farrell, the Germans have launched their attack in the Ardennes. The young lawyer is captured, harshly interrogated, and finally shipped out to a German stalag. There he meets the senior POW officer, played by Bruce Willis, and tries to settle down in the dirty and uncomfortable life of a POW. A soldier is killed and a recently downed Tuskegee airman is accused of murder. Yes, you guessed it. Farrell takes on the aviator's defense during the subsequent courts martial. If director Gregory Hoblit left the storyline to develop around the trial a decent film could have emerged. Instead we have additions of Colonel Hart's unexplained behavior, an mass tunnel escape plot, sabotage and the German Commandant's attempt to befriend the American lawyer as superfluous baggage.

HART'S WAR was filmed in the Czech Republic, no doubt to cut costs. A little more effort and a lot less story and this film would have had a better showing at the box office. Still, if you enjoy war movies you should probably add this DVD to your collection.

A movie based on WW2 backdrop should at least remain somewhat historical in it's context. The implausible storyline, added with a hyped up propaganda laced motif makes for one sorry flick.

Well, not really Stalag 13, but the situations reminded me of the TV series. But the racism got to this redneck cowboy who stopped looking at color years ago. I guess that is one of the things about movies -- they show history.

All in all it was a very good flick.

Colin Farrell is an amazing actor. In the few years since he burst on the scene in TIGERLAND, he has given us marvelous performances in films such as MINORITY REPORT, PHONE BOOTH, and THE RECRUIT. In HART'S WAR, it is heart and fierce performance that drives this well executed film. Director Gregory Hoblit (Fallen, Frequency) has orchestrated a tense, inspiring and suspenseful look at men in war. Bruce Willis also stars as Colonel McNamara, a man whose intense desire to be at war obscures his humanity and morality. Terence Howard as Lt. Scott, accused of murdering a bigoted soldier, is also brilliant in his uncompromising performance. Howard never overdoes the prejudice he faces, and is truly moving in his speech about the German POWs treatment in Alabama as compared to African-Americans. Marcel Iuries as the German commandant gives a multi-layered performance of a man driven to exert his power and yet commiserate on the agonies of war. The rest of the cast, including Sam Jaeger (Fisk) and Cole Hauser (Brendon) are perfect. The cinematography, music and editing are likewise top notch, and HART'S WAR provides us a searing, heartbreaking look at the power of honor and justice. And again shows us what a truly versatile actor COLIN FARRELL has turned out to be.

This movie has one of the best endings and definitely the most surprise one I've ever seen in any movie. This isn't an action war movie, it just happens to be set during WWII to make it work. It is a court case drama with a very unexpected and touching ending. It doesn't portray all Germans as animals as some movies do - it actually show some of them as humans who do care a little bit about justice.

Colin Farrel does a splendid job as the role of the lead actor. Bruce Willis does better but his role is not the lead one. He does an exceptional job of letting Colin Farrel take a lot of the camera time while at the same time making the movie. Without him it couldn't have happened. Bruce Willis is exceptional and both characters will surprise you at the end. If you don't buy it it is a must see unless you can't stand courtroom drama.

I enjoyed the movie & I'm glad I saw it. I haven't decided yet if it's a keeper or not. I expected there to be more action then there was. I'd recommend seeing it at least once.

With Bruce Willis' name first on the cover, and his big mug looming up front, I was expecting this film to be 'Die Hard' meets 'Hogan's Heroes.' You know, 'Bruce Willis is Joe Hart, kicking some Nazi 'behind' behind enemy lines, waging his own private little war - Hart's war!' But the packaging does a great disservice to the film.

First of all, Willis isn't even Hart; he's an important but sparingly used character. Colin Farrell is Hart, and he, Willis, and Howard give fine performances in this serious drama which is more about racism, cowardice, and the hypocrisies within and between otherwise good men, rather than being about gunplay. The heroics in this film are on a more subtle level.

Some here have called this film historically innaccurate. That may strictly be true, but the spirit rather than the letter of the script is what's important. And when you know the true stories of WWII, truth is certainly stranger than fiction; if I were told that this WAS based on a true story, I'd have believed it. It's less crazy than a lot of films that ARE based on fact!

then incredibly lapses into a "Oh, feel sorry for da black man" flick.

I'm sorry people, but this is nothing but more brainwashing coming out of the propaganda matrix called Hollywood. And the premise that this film presents that even the Germans were more sympathetic to blacks than your basic poor Southern white trash makes me SICK!

I can't tell you how this one ended cause I frisbee'd the DVD out the back door about half way through. Blockbuster can send their own goon squad back there to find the damn thing. 1 star, and I'm being kind.

This movie came and went relatively quickly at the theaters. I was skeptical to watch it. I finally rented this film and what a treat. I am a big fan of WWII films. As far as POW films go this was on par with STALAG 17 and THE GREAT ESCAPE. The camp seemed have the same layout as the two movies I mentioned above but the buildings seemed to be worn down and more in line with what a prison camp would be like. I've spent time in Norway. It seems that you are always in the shadow of some mountain and it creates a dark depressing atmosphere. I thought the way the director captured the dark winter was just right.

I'm not a big fan of Colin Farrell but thought he did a fine job as did all the actors. Bruce Willis has worked hard to shed his action image and it has paid off. For a movie just over 2 hours I think it does quite well to include a murder mystery, racial confrontations, prison escape and a courtroom drama. This film is well worth a view! I may try and get the book the film is based on and read it.

The DVD offers good special features. A decent commentary with an actor, director and production staff member, trailers and a documentary. All in all this is a good film that received good attention from the DVD producers.

Well, why not get the positives out of the way first. I thought Id brought home a good even great one after the stunning 'Battle of the Bulge' jeep-scene and chase in the opening sequence. Tense little scene, beautifully-filmed, this was the highlight of the film in the first 10 minutes in terms of convincing atmosphere, I really believed I was in this jeep stopped by German infiltrators dressed as Yanky MPs in the Battle of the Bulge, this sort of thing in very general terms was happening then.
And for further credit, the experienced-guy whos 'on the ball' and 'gets wise' to these 'Krauts', spots the heavily-camouflaged German weapons-pit in the snowy tree-line ( eyes sideways while nervously chewing cigar, looked right.) and makes a sudden brave move on these American-speaking German Kommandos doesnt kick-asse or even make it, is actually killed outright immediately, as the odds would generally guarantee.The other guy roars off in a sequence recalling James Caan's jeep-rally in 'A Bridge Too Far' but after looking like he might make it, the jeep crashes to a wheel-spinning engine-revving halt in a hole . Bravo.Thats a cut! Top war action-scene, frankly.
The old 'For you zee war iss ofer, Schweinehund!' trick.
Fair-enough.

We have a fair but routine POW convened criminal trial, with some PC overtones, good-guy German Kommandant( there were bad Germans , like Anton Diffring in this war, and jolly-decent Germans, to allow for the fact Germans became good when the Russians simultaneously became bad in 1945. All the bad Germans like Anton Diffring we either hanged or shot, or employed at the CIA or NASA, so we definateley only had good ones around from then on-oh yeah, a lot of the good Germans like Rommel and Canaris were also disposed-of by the bad Germans)more PC overtones with falsely-accused good black- man by racist bad white-man (Cole Hauser, who steals the film, perhaps, I like this actor, seen him around, always good value)
BruCe Willis just walks through being Bruce Willis, and on balance we are travelling solidly but routinely, and then comes the preposterous 'Hogans Heroes' without the laughs , ending. This ending should not have been attempted without Sergeant Schultz, Colonel Klink or at least, Major Hochstedder. Prisoners mass-escape and blow up sinister grenade or ammunition-factory next-door on the way out, 'changing the course of the war'
Oh, dear.
One previous-reviewer asked 'did anything like this ever happen in the war?' NO, it did not, Nothing remotely like it. Prisoners occasionally escaped, they did not blow up German plants on the way home, and even if the had, this is weeks after the Battle of the Bulge where the main character is captured, the war was within 5 months of conclusion at the end of this battle, and the destruction of one ammo or grenade factory BY ANYBODY was not deciding the war at any point in the war, let alone January 1945. Allied bombers had been blasting factories like that routinely for 3 years without seeming to even slow the Germans down.

Average-good Army court-drama with stunning opening action sequence and stunningly ludicrous idiotic childish comic-book ending premise.
Worth a look, but dont be in any particular hurry.