Rating: 
Summary: Closest thing to being there
Review: The details that went into making this film are fantastic. Almost every uniform and weapon is correct for the time. The use of real T-34 tanks is stunning. Coburn does a great job of playing the Wermacht NCO trying to keep his men alive on the eastern front while dealing with a glory seeking idiot. Brutal at times, this movie will grip you from the opening scene till the closing scene. Great score at the begining of the film. I'd love to get the soundtrack but I cannot find it. Strange seeing a film that has German soldiers as "The good guys" alot like the film Das Boot in that respect. Top notch, as must for all military film buffs.
Rating: 
Summary: Superb war movie-unacceptable transfer
Review: One of the great war movies of all time. Transfer is hideous. Needs Criterion type treatment.Best transfer is out of print Jap. Laser Disc. Henstooth transfer washed out, grainy, poorly cropped, poor audio. Hensteeth is for the birds. AVOID THIS OR ANY BY SAME company.
Rating:
Summary: how to destroy a great film
Review: As with most of the other reviews I can say with total honesty that my DVD of Cross of Iron is the worst duplication of any film onto DVD. How can such a second rate company get the rights to one of the greatest war films ever made. Unfortunately for me, living DownUnder, returning this title is not possible finacially. I am thankful I still have a VHS copy.
Rating:
Summary: Cross of Iron--DVD---Hens Tooth Video
Review: Cross of Iron, Sam Peckinpah's last movie has been out of print on vhs for a long time. With a DVD release as poor as this it should have stayed in moratorium until someone who cared could have released a DVD worthy of this great antiwar film. I stilll have a vhs copy that looks better than this dungpile. So whether you are a fan of this movie or Sam Peckinpah do not support this horrible release of such a fine film.
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie --Bad DVD
Review: While I am a big fan of Peckinpah, and feel that this movie was unfairly overlooked for many years, it was almost painful to watch the Hen's Tooth Video DVD version of this film. The interpositive used in the transfer is scratched, pitted, and otherwise in very poor shape for much of the film. The compression rate is terrible, resulting in the worst artifacting I have yet seen on this format, and to top it all off the video does not even preserve the film's aspect ratio.To sum it up: Very compelling movie, which does feel a bit "dated" in some of its techniques (but funding was also pulled out from under Peckinpah during production, and this film was made on a very low budget), but the film warrants viewing. It's merely unfortunate that the video distributor did not give the film the respect it deserved. I am returning my DVD copy today, and will wait for someone else to acquire the rights and do the job better.
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie, DVD version could be better.
Review: This is one of the most powerful World War II movies made, probably because it was based on the fictional (though almost biographical) book of the same name by Willi Heinrich. While the movie is not an exact retelling of the book, it does remain truer to its source than most Hollywood adaptations. I compare "Cross of Iron" to "All Quiet on the Western Front" in their similar message and powerful portrayal of war being an extreme assault on the humanity of all involved. I highly recommend the movie itself but don't know that the DVD version is worth the extra as it has no widescreen option and the audio on my copy is pretty low.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing...
Review: I made the mistake of reading the novel BEFORE I saw the film. I am not aware of what production problems Sam Peckinpah might have had to face, but he did not do the novel justice. The combat scenes are exciting and gut-wrenching, as are the use of "authentic" weaponry by both sides, but Peckinpah lost a great opportunity to portray combat on the Eastern Front as the author intended. Instead, he sold out to Hollywood and pandered to his film audience. Most ridiculous was the end sequence where Coburn's Sgt. Steiner (Steiner in the novel was only 25!)banters with his company commander, Captain Stranssky (Maximillian Schell) as they try to escape a Russian attack. Read the novel for a MUCH better story!
Rating:
Summary: A gripping war film from a new perspective
Review: If you ask me there can never be enough films or books about the greatest conflict in all of human history. Cross of Iron stands out because it is told from the German perspective, and in terms of realism, suspense, and historical accuracy ranks right up there with the best of the genre, I put it on an equal level with greats like The Longest Day, All Quiet on the Western Front and The Triumph and the Glory. (book, not a movie yet but will be)
Rating:
Summary: It's pretty good
Review: I saw this when I was about 7 (thanks Dad!), and there some scenes I have remembered vividly over these last 22 years. It was exciting to see them again. Overall, it's a decent movie, with an interesting bunch of characters and some good action scenes. If I had a complaint, is that the impact of the brutal action sequences was reduced because of (and I'm no director, here) what seemed like Hollywood-y camera work - showing the viewer exactly what to look at and for how long - instead of the grunts-eye-view of movies like Pvt. Ryan. All in my humble opinion. I enjoyed it, though. There is no denying the talent involved.
Rating:
Summary: A great war movie from the German perspective
Review: What can I say about Sam Peckinpah, the film pioneer of the 60's and 70's. Aside from "The Wild Bunch" this may be Peckinpah's best effort. Nice to see hard fighting, intelligent German soldiers instead of the silly ones, who can't shoot straight seen in most movies. James Colburn Rules!
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