War

"Its hard to be a good soldier in a rotten war"

Advantages: excellent photography, intelligent writing, good action, thought-provoking
Disadvantages: None

Made in 1988, The Beast is a war film set in 1981 during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, following the crew of a Soviet T-62 tank that gets seperated from its unit and ends up in a barren desert valley, pursued by a group of mujahadeen warriors who are out for revenge after the tank unit mercilessly slaughtered the inhabitants of their tiny village. Indeed, the film opens with the attack on the settlement, in which one prominent village leader ...
...the behest of its unhinged commander, Daskal. The film is part anti-war film, part psychological thriller, the focus being split between Taj- the new Khan after his father and brother were brutally murdered- and his men on the one hand as they pursue the tank in the hopes of destroying it with a lone RPG, David and Goliath style, and Commander Daskal and his crew, who obey his increasingly maniacal commands out of fear. Daskal's crew consists of ...

Burning_Darkness 12.10.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Beast (DVD)

War has 2 sides

Advantages: Great film showing the other side of war
Disadvantages: Never addresses what happened to the baker

...movie is taken from real letters written by the Japanese soldiers and shows their war. Many who know nothing about the Japanese culture of Bushido and their ideas about honour will struggle to understand many of the things the Japanese soldiers do in this film. Why they choose to fight to the death, why they choose to commit suicide rather than die, why they disobey their most senior officers orders to retreat. Westerners and most certainly Americans ...
...their culture does not promote giving your life, it promotes the idea that you live to fight another day. The Japanese soldiers of that time would also struggle to understand this concept, it would be as equally alien to them as the ideas behind Bushido were to the West. This film is well shot and looks amazing, many of its sequences are re-used in "Flags Of Our Fathers". This film is better than "Flags" as it is easy to follow and flashbacks of ...

atytyut2434 09.03.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Letters From Iwo Jima (DVD)

a real eye-opener

Advantages: powerful film , great value dvd
Disadvantages: Not enough scenes with Johnny Depp in

Before watching platoon i knew nothing really of the Vietnam war.after this i felt like i'd been there with the soldiers , nerves on edge, expecting to be blown up/bayoneted/shot at any second. The acting is some of the best i have seen ina war film. Charlie sheen plays the innocent volunteer who is mentally and physically battered into a hard nut like the other soldiers. Tom Berenger is the cold blooded Sergeant Barnes, who has no concept of right ...
...compassionate and stands up for what he believes. In my opinion this was a film that kicked off several actors careers, like Johnny Depp ( yes pirates of the Carribean Johnny Depp) and Forest Whitaker. Depp is not abundant in the film and the first time i saw it you barely notice him as his scenes are so brief. Other than this the film is flawless. The imposing soundtrack combined with the revealing camera work makes it unforgettable. Certain parts ...

HarryJ3991 23.05.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Platoon (DVD)

Behind Enemy Lines

Advantages: Entertaining the whole way through
Disadvantages: Slightly on the budget side

Last night Behind enemy lines was on Film Four and I thought I’d give it ago, I had never heard of the film before and so did not know what to expect, I always give the info on the TV a read before getting into a new film as unfortunately I am one of the Biased people of the world who find a film more worth trying if it has good actors and a good synopsis. Judging a book by its cover and all that (slap on the wrists). First impressions Before the ...
...out of the bag with Behind Enemy Lines, therefore the film was given my full attention the full way through. Plot The story is about a Navy ship which is stationed near Bosnia with Gene Hackman as the admiral and Owen Wilson plays an uncomfortable Navy Lieutenant plane navigator who is looking to leave the force for good in a fortnight because the Navy offers him no excitement. He is paired with his partner ‘Stackhouse’ who is his close friend and ...

amyloop 17.07.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Behind Enemy Lines (DVD)

Colditz Story

Advantages: Family film with limited violence
Disadvantages: None

One of the all time great British war films. Sir John Mills plays Pat Reid and the film is based on Pat Reid's real wartime experiences as noted in a couple of published books from the 1940's/50's. As such the events from the arrival of British POWs at the Colditz prison camp, Mill's character was one of the first of the British to be incarcerated in Colditz Castle. Colditz is the unescapable prison camp for all POWs who have escaped from other Stalags. ...
...the allied nations, how the Poles and French help the British in the early day, and how the friendships develop. As such the film focuses on all nationalities escape attempts be they succesful or unsuccessful, with perhaps the most unusual escape coming from a game of leap frog. The film also unusally manages to show that all German guards and officers were not Nazi tyrants. The Colditz Story is a feel good film intermixed with some sadness but ...

mrtimharry 17.10.2007 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of The Colditz Story (DVD)