Rating: 
Summary: When Trumpets fade.
Review: This is an outstanding movie which accurately depicts one of the most lethal battles fought by soldiers in WW II. It has an outstanding cast, is well documented & directed. If you like real action & true to life war movies, you will not be dissapointed.The movie depicts one of the most forgotten battles, one of the Hurtgen Forrest, where the casualties ran high. This movie is absolutely one of the best war movies ever made. If there is any criticism to be made, it may be that it's not long enough. The acting is superb, & the money is well worth it. This is a must for anyone who is intrested in WW II, & a must have for any war collection.
Rating: 
Summary: When Trumpets Fade
Review: This movie "is not" directly advertised as, or based on, actual historical events & people in regards to the "Battle of the Huertgen Forest" of the 28th Infantry Division. It is "very loosely" based on various events experienced by the 28th Division during its fight in the ETO, but that's where the similarities end. A person who did not have any connection to the battle or any of its participants wrote the original story. If it were not for the superb knowledge & direction of the Technical Advisor: LTC William O. Hickok, 5th, of the 28th, it would have been far more historically inaccurate. The behavior of the soldiers characterized in this movie, is reprehensible at best. The verbal terminology and body language demonstrated, is in itself, inaccurate and insulting to many of the vets who actually fought there. It is this point alone, that most irks the Huertgen Veterans I am related to & have communicated with. They DO NOT want this movie to be seen as "the definitive" Huertgen Battle movie. In this movie, the Battalion Commander played by Dwight Yoakam, appears to arrive at the front lines on a jeep from miles away, give orders, then go back to wherever it is the movie director thinks an Infantry Battalion Commander should disappear to. Trumpet depicts any officer higher than Captain as an insensitive butcher. Nothing could be further from the truth. Numerous Battalion Commanders were involved in the fighting and ended up casualties. In actual historical fact, the Regimental Commander of the main objective (who was in charge of Tanks, Tank Destroyers and three Battalions; over 2,500 men) was so close to the front lines during the main Battle for Kommerscheidt, he engaged and killed enemy soldiers himself with a machine gun. He was ultimately wounded twice, evacuated and did not walk for nearly two years after the injuries. He earned the Silver Star for his actions there. The one recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor in the Huertgen Battle was also an officer, 24-year-old 1st Lieutenant Turney W. Leonard from the 893rd T.D.B.. Lt. Leonard, previously wounded, directed fire that destroyed six enemy tanks from exposed dismounted positions & moved through enemy fire to reorganize infantry whose officers had been killed. He also single handedly destroyed an enemy machine gun emplacement. During this action, Leonard was wounded a second time by shellfire that severed his arm. He was blown to the ground, got up, pulled his own belt off and wrapped it around the stump. He then had to be led away from the action. This was the last time he was seen alive. These are just two of the numerous breathtaking heroic true events that occurred during the actual battle. Although the upper echelon Generals who planed this offensive in minute detail, did a horrible job and positively caused thousands of American casualties, Regimental, Battalion and mid level officers were heroic to say the least given the "mission impossible" they were ordered to carry out. Would I suggest adding this movie to a WWII collection? Yes I would, simply because of the fact that so few pieces of information are available regarding this ill-fated battle. In saying this, I would also suggest that it would do honor to those who fought there to also take the time to research the actual battle through some of the very accurate books written on the subject. Some available right here on amazon such as: "Follow Me and Die" by Col. Cecil B. Currey, or "A Dark and Bloody Ground" by LTC Edward G. Miller, and "Three Battles: Arnaville, Altuzzo & Schmidt" by Charles B. MacDonald. My suggestion of these books is unsolicited and is intended to help preserve an accurate account of one of the worst American Divisional defeats in all of WWII. William A. Snider Jr. Grandson: Col. Carl L. Peterson, C.O. 112th I.R. 28th Division - Huertgen
Rating:
Summary: The battle before the Bulge
Review: This is one of the best war movies I've seen so far. There wasn't any speeches about why they fought, why they were there. It was simple, they joined (or drafted),did their jobs to end the war so that we can enjoy the world we are in today. The level of gore is much, much lower than SPR, but this movie is about combat from the beginning to the end. As for realism, it is at its best: the uniforms, the battle sequences, not for people with faint heart. Five stars.
Rating:
Summary: WOW - War Operetta Wonderful!
Review: I never thought I'd enjoy a made for tv war movie since most are cheaply done, poorly acted and scripted. But this is different. This is the best war movie I have seen to date. It's full of misplaced guts and gory. The prinicpal character Pvt. Manning rose from private to lieutenant in three days, not because of the desire for glory but merely to survive. The primary consideration among the troops that "nobody dies" is brought home with sheer realism. The entire cast performed brilliantly and the directing is top notch. Unlike "The Longest Day" where the viewer is merely a spectataor to the events of war, or "Saving Pvt. Ryan" where he feels to be an occasional particiapnt, this movie hits you where its at. You're down there with the squad feeling the danger and tension of fighting and the fear of getting killed . There is a lot of action and excitement in this movie despite the fact that it also a cerebral cinema. This is definietly ONE of the BEST.
Rating: 
Summary: Realistic military film...must see
Review: This is one of the most realistic military films that I have personally seen. More so, in my opinion, than Saving Private Ryan, which was a theater release from a premier director and received much more attention as a result. This film depicts the grittiness of war and portrays the hopeless situation in which soldiers can find themselves when confronted with a seemingly unmoveable enemy. No happy, feel good emotions at the end of this flick. Just the hopelessness that soldiers feel in tough situations like the Hurtigen Forest campaign. It portrays one of the reasons why soldiers perform in battle. Simply just to stay alive. For military film buffs, this is a must see film.
Rating:
Summary: I thought there was going to be an HBO series!
Review: I thought the realism as far as blood and guts goes was top rate! Eldards role was a little bland but the supporting actors (not including yokum) were very good. I guess the budget did not cover extra germans but it got the point across. I thought when I saw the trailer it was going to be a hbo series like Combat! but now to my delight, there is going to be one that Tom Hanks has a hand in. Ive researched Hurtgen forest 44 and thought the writer and director did a fine job. The US army was approaching the breaking point and they got this point across, like it or not. Strangely the only thing that saved them was the outbreak of the battle of the bulge. Good, realistic movie.
Rating:
Summary: It was Great
Review: You should definitely see this movie! It was great! It depicted this battle like no other! It was so realistic!
Rating:
Summary: It just wasn't that good.
Review: This could have been a really good movie. There were a couple scenes that were good, like when Eldard takes his new squad into their foxholes. It was really ominous and suspenseful. But the thing I really didn't like about it were the blatant technical inaccuracies. When the company made their push through the minefield, it was infuriating to see them so bunched up. Groups of 3 here, 5 there, and 7 over there. Each man should have had at least 20 to 25 meters between him and his buddy. AT LEAST! I've spent the better part of my life studying weapons and tactics and how they are employed in the field, so when I see a BAR firing about 100 rounds without the man behind it changing magazines, it pisses me off. Or when every time an enemy soldier gets hit, he lurches around for a couple seconds and then finally screams or says, "Ahh!". When a burning hot hunk of lead smashes into you, you fall to the ground like a ton of bricks. It's like you don't have legs anymore. That's it; you're down. End of story. Call for a corpsman if you can, but more than likely, it'll be somebody else yelling, "Corpsman up!". I know that in the army, the majority call for a Medic, but I'm speaking for a different branch. That's what geting shot is like. And the fat guy wasting nearly all of his fuel in the flamethrower, just screaming, screaming, screaming. It's ludicrous. Also, why in the hell do movie makers feel they have to create huge fireballs to make an artillery blast look real? Artillery doesn't do that. The movie kept on showing 88mm shells hitting the trees, which, yes it did happen, but then for some reason, billowing fireballs would eminate from the ground. Artillery sends a lot of dirt and dust in the air along with a hell of a lot of fast-flying shrapnel. There almost no flame at all. It just annoys me, that's all. I would recommend against adding this movie to your collection. I got it a month ago, and it was so depressing I haven't watched it since then. A Midnight Clear, Saving Private Ryan, or Stalingrad are the ones people should see.
Rating:
Summary: When Trumpets are Out of Tune
Review: Although the subject matter is interesting (Hurtgen Forest 44'), the film is weak. Ron Eldard does a good job in the lead role, but all of the other primary actors are poor. This is especially true Dwight Yokum who plays a sterotypical callous and ruthless battalion CO. Of course there is the angst ridden company CO and the cowardly platoon commander. The treatment of the Germans in the film is deplorable and in fact there are only handful of shots featuring German infantry. As far as simulating the actual battle, this film is a stinker. The Americans bunch up in attack like on a Sunday stroll and the Germans are able to foil an entire battalion attack with a single 88mm gun with no infantry support! If you want a good "realistic" war movie, buy Saving Private Ryan, Stalingrad, Tora!Tora!Tora!, The Iron Cross, or the Battle of Britain.
Rating:
Summary: The Cold Of War
Review: I, too, think it's better than Saving Private Ryan, for the simple fact that it only addresses the issue of "the pain of war", not about "earning the rights". After reading Stephen Ambrose's "Citizen Soldier", where I first learnt the details of the Hurtigen Forest, I was just too moved by this movie. One can feel the temperature, the horrid condition, the "bright shining lies", the "zing" of the bullets hitting nearby and the NCO war of the Hurtigen come-onslaught. Sometimes it forces you to think why didn't Manning just commit an actual Section 8, why did men fight under such hopeless condition and not desert? I'm sorry, I never did think it's because it earned anyone any rights. I guess Ambrose did put it rather well, too, that, these men fight because they don't want to lose that precious self.
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