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Hart's War

Hart's War

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $11.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Bruce Willis Again
Review: In this movie Bruce willis did not speak for more than 30 or 35 minutes, and the firs 15 minutes or so he did not appear, but still I think HE IS THE MAN.

The story is great, it is mix of suspense, action, honor, loayality and sacrifice, it deserves 5 stars and even more

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Hart's War-Playing the Race Card
Review: A feeble attempt byf the libral left to equate the WW2 generation's attitude towards blacks to the Nazi's murderous attitude towards the jews. The American POWs treat their fellow black POW airmen worse then the Nazis do . A complete playing of the race card in this movie, I was waiting for OJ to appear in a Tusk a gee Airmans uniform so the white folks could frame him. This was not even a war movie as it was advertised, it was a soap opera of a black hating cracker picking on to black airmen in a POW camp-American against American. The bad white cracker being the embodiment of evil, worse than the Nazi scum . The movie trailers said this was a great war movie, it was a sham and it is a disgrace to any vet of ww2 especially after 911. [shame on] Bruce Willis for taking a role in a movie of this nature. It is anti white, anti black and anti Ameican. A disgrace.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Engrossing WWII story
Review: Bruce Willis and Colin Farrell turn in outstanding performances as a U.S. colonel and lieutenant who have been captured and are in a German stalag. When two black Tuskegee airmen are captured, Willis assigns Farrell to protect them from some of the redneck enlisted men. Tempers flare and soon one of the newcomers is ..., and it becomes difficult to tell who the good guys are. This is an engrossing film with an oft-twisting plot which demonstrates the real meaning of honor and self-sacrifice.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: No More Than A Bruce Willis Vehicle
Review: The success rate of movies adapted from books is about a draw. I'd put this one in the just average column.

I actually read the book, which gave virtually every one of the characters kept for the film version different backgrounds than those we see on the screen. That made it hard not to be disappointed in a movie that barely improved upon their motivations. For instance, Hart was NOT a coward, Lincoln Scott was terribly well-educated, and the German commandant was cruel and not a graduate of Yale. McNamara (Willis' character) was a cypher. Two of my favorite characters from the book, the Canadian provincial policeman and the English barrister, were obviously missing in action from the movie. And where did that "shoe factory" spring from? Although the book was itself somewhat implausible, it held a page-turning fascination: why was Lincoln Scott so obviously framed? Katzenbach, the book's author, spent time on telling details jettisoned by the film. For instance, the ordinary soldiers guarding the camp had a large role in contraband activities. The significance of the bread being tossed to Russian prisoners wasn't just a Bruce Willis moment, it should have reminded us of the fate of the Russians and the daily struggle for any prisoner of war to stay alive. Read the book if you'd like a more complex view of Hart's internal struggle.

The most impressive actors were Marcel Iures, the commandant, and Terrence Dashon Howard, the Tuskegee airman. Iures' had a showy part. Except for a few moments when he seemed to want to chew scenery, he managed to give some emotional complexity to a man who frankly enjoyed manipulating people he imagined to be less clever. Howard had a difficult role - as Scott, he had to convey that although he was in true danger of being executed, he had a bigger vision than any one else of why that must be so. Howard's nuanced delivery was very believable.I don't have the excitement over Colin Farrell other reviewers do, but he was fine. Willis' dry style, presumably used to show McNamara's internal conflict, worked best only at the end of the film.

The sight and sounds of the POW camp seemed realistic, although perhaps a little too clean and neat.

One thing I felt Katzenbach did creditably, and the film makers somewhat less so: point out that there really was racism by white American troops against Black soldiers in WWII. I don't quite understand why several reviewers are making light of the racial discrimination shown by Hart's War, or expressing irritation that it was a theme in this film. The Tuskegee Airmen weren't welcomed by their white flying brethren until some very serious flying had been done and sacrifices made by the Tuskegee guys. I thought the movie did an adequate job of reminding us of the contradiction inherent in the U.S. fighting abroad for democratic principles but continuing to allow the oppression of some of its citizens at home (Blacks, Japanese-Americans, Native Americans on reservations, for instance). How many other WWII films have spent time on those issues?

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A Disappointment.
Review: When I saw the previews for Hart's War I thought, "Hey, this looks pretty good! WW2 from the POW's perspective, and it's not Hogan's Heroes!" Then the movie started....

I can't say it was a terrible movie, but it lacks any real emotion. You don't feel for the characters, and frankly you don't care whether they live or die. Bruce Willis doesn't cut it playing a commanding officer, he doesn't have the presence nor the charisma. The rest of the cast follows suit - decent actor, wrong role.

When the movie delves into race relations (the arrival of the Tuskegee airman to the camp) circa 1940, it becomes very cliche'. The black righteous man vs. the despicable racist white man. Not denying that this was a wrong that happened in that era, but it is getting very old and predictable the way Hollywood takes every confrontation of the sort to outrageous and dishonest levels.

The overall plot becomes transparent about halfway thru the film and the rest of it is just playing out the string. Not really bad, not really good. Just another film.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Slow moving but overall entertaining film
Review: Being a fan of Bruce Willis, I was looking forward to seeing this film. The first 3/4 of the picture are totally misleading. (I won't give anything away but this portion of the picture is what causes the viewer to end up appreciating the film in the end.) Unless you are die hard fan of Willis (pun intended) or a war buff, buy this DVD. If not, rent it before you decide.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very Good
Review: I didn't notice much advertisement or hype about this movie when it was in the theaters. And after viewing it I'm not sure why. I have read many criticism's on the movie and while some may be valid, no movie is perfect.

The movie opens with LT. Hart, a rear echelon support staff soldier being captured in an ambush and being shipped to the hard reality of a prison camp. This is quite a shock for the young LT. At the prison camp he meets the Colonel (Bruce Willis) who is the ranking officer and somewhat of an enigma to the LT. throughout the movie.

The young LT. has to prove himself to his new subordinates, his new superiors and to himself. It is a bit of a "coming of age" type of movie if you look close enough.

With turns at every corner this movie keeps you guessing until the very end. It is full of surprises and the back-drop is stark and gives a great feel for what winter in a prison camp must have been like. The stark reality of where they are keeps creeping in but is never really fully explored by the director.

This is a good prison camp movie. Not many bombs and guns for a war movie but it is still a good movie in time. With a nod toward Stalag 17 and The Great Escape it makes its point. Duty, honor, sacrifice and racism are themes of this movie.

There seems to be a lot of fence walking on this movie but I enjoyed it very much. If you are unsure, rent it first, and you will buy it later.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A war story that defies credulity
Review: It is hard to imagine a more contrived story than this WWII POW film. There are just so many unrealistic plot elements that the story loses all credibility. Director Gregory Hoblit, ("Frequency", "Primal Fear") has delivered good dramatic films in the past, but this one simply loses its grip on reality. While the production values are excellent, Hoblit doesn't seem to notice or care that plot and the behavior of his characters range from inconsistent to implausible.

Take Colonel Werner Visser (Marcel Iures). The workup on him shows him to be evil, intolerant, cruel and autocratic and those are his nicer qualities. Then suddenly, for no reason we can discern, he develops a soft spot for Lt. Hart (Colin Farrell). This is a conniving, manipulative, hard hearted creature and just because he went to the same college as Hart, he becomes his avuncular advisor and benefactor. Let's get real here.

Yes, and I am sure they are going to send a lieutenant assigned to headquarters and privileged to strategic information, who has never been in combat, to shuttle another officer to the front lines so he can get captured and spill his guts to the enemy. That detail would have been given to a non commissioned officer with no exposure to such intelligence.

The one bright spot in this film is the acting of Colin Farrell. Farrell combines rugged good looks and excellent dramatic skills to bring this film whatever shred of credibility it has. He manages to make his character believable, despite the unbelievable nature of everything that is going on around him. Bruce Willis gets top billing in this film, but doesn't log 20% of the screen time that Farrell commands. Willis plays the hard shelled West Point officer well, although his switch from heartless malevolence to heroic nobility is just a bit too abrupt to accept.

Everything about this film stretches credulity. By the end of the film, my eye sockets were sore from all the eye rolling. I rated it a 5/10. Despite some good performances and technical elements, this kind of drama needs realism to be effective and in this regard "Hart's War" fails spectacularly.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good procesal drama
Review: Lt Hart(Farell) is a Us Officer serving in Europe in the WW2.

After being captured by the nazis he is held captive in a Pow camp full of american pows willing to escape.

There he met Col. Mcnamara(Willis) a tough officer which leds him to be a defense counselor of a black liuteniaunt aviator who is charged a murder of a white staff sergeant after this guy framed another black aviator to have counceled weapons in the camp.

During the trial a plot is discovered underground pows are making a tunnel to get to the strategic points an put explosives which makes confussion and will led the inmates to escape from the camp.

Intense and good with nice actions seciencies and a good finale.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Waste of money
Review: This is the worst movie I ever saw. It has nothing to do with WW2. There is no action in it either. Its about POW's who go on trial in the POW camp, against each other. While the Germans help them in any way the can for both sides to have a case. What a stupid story, didn't these people have other things to worry about. I can't believe how nice the Germans are to the POW's.


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