4/5 An enjoyable film with strong performances
  by Jason Cheng (Catonsville, MD)
First of all let's get one thing straight, although the setting of Hart's War is during World War II, this is not an action movie along the lines of Black Hawk Down or Saving Private Ryan, instead, it is more of a who-done-it type of drama film. With that out of the way, Hart's War is about the experiences of Lt. Thomas Hart during his stay at a German POW camp (the Stalag 6A) in 1944, nearing the end of the war. Inside the compound he meets Col. William McNamara, the highest ranking officer in the place, even in prison, all US soldiers and officers still answer to McNamara, and the chain of command is expected to be followed. Things start to get out of hand after two black fighter pilots enter the camp, and when one of them is accused of murder, Hart is assigned to defend him in the court martial, if he fails, the man will face the firing squad.

The strongest part of Hart's War is the performances, not just by the leads but also the supporting cast. Bruce Willis proves once again that he is a talented actor, not just another action star. His portrayal of McNamara was right on, it's as if the role was tailored specifically for him, and in every scene he held a commanding presence. Colin Farrell also did a good job as Hart, compelling and measured, I really like how his character struggled between his allegiance as an officer and his duty to his client. Fairly new to Hollywood, he's definitely someone to keep an eye out for in the future.

The script is another big plus for the movie, I found it ironic that these soldiers were sent to Europe to fight a war against the Nazi and the their so called ethnic cleansing, but instead, they are fighting their own racial prejudices in the POW camp. The hatred some of these enlisted men have for their fellow African American comrades was sometimes even more intense and pronounced than what they shown towards the enemies, Hart's War was able to accurately illustrate the hardships blacks have to face in the war even among allies. Top it off with excellent dialogues, Hart's War is one solid drama.

The only problem I had with the movie was the ending, it's not bad, just a little unexpected, but not enough to ruin the whole experience for me. I strongly recommend Hart's War to anyone who wants a little change of pace from all the big action war films we've had (and are going to have in the upcoming months,) I sure wasn't disappointed.

5/5 The imminent end of WWII doesn't bring happiness to everyone
  by David Thomson (Houston, TX USA)
World War II is rapidly winding down. Soldiers on both sides realize that Germany will surrender in the near future. Lt. Thomas Hart (Colin Farrell) has the misfortune to be captured by the Germans and sent to Stalig 17. He is greeted by Col. William McNamara (Bruce Willis), a third generation West Point career
officer. The latter is not pleased at sitting out the remaining time of the war as a P.O.W. Col. McNamara has a family tradition to uphold, and the gods of the universe are not cooperating. Someone with a more prudent disposition might decide to patiently wait to be liberated. The Colonel, though, is not so inclined and has every intention to rebel at every chance he gets. Marcel Iures is splendidly cast as the German P.O.W. commandant, Col. Werner Wisser, who loves American Jazz, and seems totally disinterested in Nazi ideology. He has a job to do, and merely desires to stay out of harm's way. There is no sense in needlessly irritating the inevitable winners of the war. The German officer is more than willing to cut the Americans some slack as long as they sufficiently abide by the camp's rules. Iure's character is indispensable to the plot, and his performance should be remember when it's time for the Oscar nominations.

The addition of two Afro-American pilots disrupts the harmony of the camp. The racist attitudes of a few white prisoners threatens to endanger the safety of everyone. One of these racists is murdered and this is when the story really takes off. Terrence Dashon Howard admirably portrays the black pilot suspected of the
crime. It is Lt. Hart's duty to defend him in less than ideal circumstances. Is the black officer guilty? If not, why is he being framed, and by whom? Director Gregory Hoblit puts together an intelligent movie highlighting the racism of that period. Some viewers may be surprised to learn that Nazis were often better treated by white Americans than the blacks who served in their own military. The film has some weaknesses, but still is worth seeing. There's enough here to give it four and a half stars.

5/5 It couldn't happen this way, but I loved it anyway!
  by Linda Linguvic (New York City)
I enjoy war movies. This was no exception. The only problem is that I don't think this story could have ever happened. Once I realized that, I could relax and let myself be held in an iron grip of twists and turns of the plot, constant surprises throughout and an inevitable satisfying conclusion. No, this film is not primarily about an escape effort by a group of POWs in Nazi Germany as the trailer would have you believe. It's much more complex than that. It's about heroism and sacrifice, but it's also about racism among our own troops and the hard decisions that people have to make.

Bruce Willis, cast as an American colonel in the prison camp, actually has the right to command his men even though they are incarcerated. He is considered the star of the film, but the real star is Colin Farrell, cast as Lieutenant Tommy Hart, whose capture and interrogation is presented in gruesome detail. By the time he arrives at the prison camp, we have already seen him under pressure and we have doubts about his strengths. The prison camp is crowded and when two African-American Tuskegee Airmen are captured, there is blatant racism among the other prisoners. When a murder occurs, Bruce Willis convinces the German commandant to allow him to conduct his own military trial right inside the prison camp. This is where reality breaks down, but the story is so intriguing that it just led me on. Another piece of great casting is that of the SS Major, played by Marcel Ivres. He plays his role with just the right amount of arrogance and contempt and the viewer gets to see him as an individual and not just a stereotype. And Terrance Dashon Howard, cast in the role of the black officer on trial, is excellent.

Filmed in Prague, we are treated to the excellent cinematography we've learned to expect and the long shots of the winter landscape are excellent. The acting is consistently good, the theme modern, and the plot riveting. It's a good story, well told. If, later, it seems a little incredulous - well, who ever said a movie was supposed to be real? Some might find it too violent, but for war-film aficionados, I definitely recommend it.

4/5 Pleasing But Improbable War Film!
  by Barron Laycock (Temple, New Hampshire United States)
This is another in a series of recent films that seem to be less interested in plot plausibility than with getting a great ensemble cast together to spin a decent yarn. For me the problems with the plot here really strain the credibility of everything else, and although I liked the performance of all concerned, I found myself impatient at points because it all seemed far too contrived. Having said this, the acting is uniformly good, and I found that to be the one redeeming feature of the film.

Colin Farrell is especially good here, and acting out the title role lends credibility and verve to the film. Likewise, Marcel Lures does a good job convincing us he is indeed an evil and manipulative Camp Commander. Bruce Willis is also terrific as the by-the-book West Point graduate and Prisoner Commander who must decide whether or not to intercede to save Hart from his existential situation. Given his willingness to let one man die for the good of many, the choice he must make is by no means a foregone conclusion.

The action sequences are extremely well choreographed and photographed, and while the plot reels from happenstance to happenstance all too conveniently to be believed, the film is entertaining and intriguing in bringing up social issues one does not ordinarily think about in terms of the Second World War. While this isn't intended as a serious drama, it is a good action flick that will keep you entertained if you don't allow the potboiler plot to get in the way. Enjoy!

4/5 Compelling Drama sabotaged by Marketing Campaign that tried to make it an Action movie!
  by Steve Forsyth (Denton, TX USA)
I finally got around to watching this movie last night (after buying it for $4 on DVD a few weeks ago) and I can say I was very pleasantly surprised by it after reading so many negative reviews.

The Problem: This film was mareketed poorly - the trailers give an accurate idea of the content, but they give you the wrong impression as to the tone. Because Bruce Willis is in it, they chose to make it out to contain tons of action and heroic combat! They also chose to make it appear to be a Bruce Willis vehicle. Let me tell you, if you are renting or buying it for either of the above reasons, you will hate it! The "combat action" scenes are sparse (two scenes) and extremely short (though very exciting when they do occur. And Bruce Willis is really a supporting actor to Farrel - in fact, of the major characters, he probably has less screen time than anyone else, and is rarely seen outside of Farrel's perspective.

(Also, Americans seem to reject the idea that Nazis in an interrment camp could have had a shred of civility. Perhaps this film gave them a little too much credit - but I think that even as evil as they were, not all Nazis were inhuman brutes.)

The Good: So, the first thing you need to do is lay aside your expectation of a SAVING PRIVATE RYAN or GUNS OF NAVARONNE type movie. This is a drama! And it is a very good one. There are several layers to this story - one is that of Lt. Hart's (Colin Farrel) need for redemption after an early failure in the film. His assignment to defend the falsely accused marine gives him that chance. The main story is the trial of a marine who asserts he was framed for the murder of a fellow marine in the stockade. Farrel quickly learns that the cards are stacked against him as the presiding officer McNamara (Willis) seemse bent on a guilty verdict. This sets up some very tense confrontations between the two.

Adding a second layer to this drama is the apparently misunderstood character of the commanding Nazi officer Werner Visser. Visser represents an aging officer who has wound up in a remote post and seems to have accepted this lesser role. (Someone commented below that his "nice guy" attitude would not get him far in the German Army - ahem, well, I think that's the point - that's why he's watching over a camp rather than storming the frontlines!) He is a foil to Willis's McNamara, who wants nothing more than to get back to the war. The confusion as to why Visser suddenly wants to help Hart is that people perceive this as Visser suddenly becoming the nice Nazi. Well, anyone paying attention can see that Visser is ONLY motivated by getting back at McNamara. Hart is a convenient tool to do so - but there is not fondness for Hart from Visser, as you will see by the film's end.

The third layer is that of the racist motivation behind the original crime. Two of the confined officers are African-American, and they are portrayed in a very heroic light here - but the white enlisted men are very prejudiced to their presence (this is the 40s, remember). This gives ample opportunity to see racism as it truly is - these are fine outstanding officers, but their contributions are ignored by those who only see the color of their skin. Someone said below that the film portrayed the African-American soldiers as Spineless and hapless - I don't know what movie he saw, I think the film COMBATED this misconception!

Combining these three threads takes a skillful director, and Hoblit shows himself up to the task. The film never loses momentum, but switches nicely between the various threads. The writing is crisp, the cinematography is appropriately drab and dreary in its own beautiful way (love the light beams coming through the barrack windows) and the few actions scenes keep the excitement level high. All told, this is an excellent movie, and one I am proud to own - it's a shame more people will miss out on it because of the critics who didn't get it.

The Bad: That is not to say it is the perfect film. I did have a difficult time following alot of what was going on for the first hour, but near the end, when a plot twist was introduced, much of these scenes made more sense. Also, some of the dialogue was either poorly recorded, or poorly delivered. But, my main gripe was covered above about the misleading marketing of this film.

The Summation: Think of it as a combination of THE GREAT ESCAPE, A FEW GOOD MEN, and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - with the final sum being just a few notches below each of these titles, and you'll get an idea of what you're in for . . . give it a chance!