The Lost Battalion (2001)
WMB Rating:
(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5) 
Loading ...
In October 1918, one battalion of American soldiers gets trapped behind enemy lines, thinking they are at the lead of an offensive, the reality is quite different. Based on the Johnson and Pratt book of the same name, The Lost Battalion is a dirty, bloody, gritty look at life in the trenches, and at the reality of war.
This made-for-TV movie falls into the category of ‘best war movies I’ve never heard of.’ Yeah, its really quite good. Surprisingly good as far as made-for-TV films go. New York lawyer turned Major Charles Whittelsey (Rick Schroder) reluctantly takes his men where ordered, straight into the sights of the Germans. He thinks the offensive is succeeding all around him, while in reality everyone else has pulled back, leaving his unit stranded up against a German battalion hell-bent on keeping them at bay.
From there it only gets worse for them, as he tries to reconcile his orders with the well-being of his men. Continued assaults from the Germans, as well as a barrage of friendly-fire artillery tear the battalion to pieces. Over the span of the six days they are trapped, their numbers drop from around 600, to less than 200.
The Lost Battalion is not for the squeamish. Graphic are the battles, the injuries, the combat, and the deaths. Yet it never really enters the realm of exploitation. To me it turns out to be a pretty realistic representation of what it must have been like. The supporting cast is also stellar, if somewhat unknown.
You also get a glimpse into the mechanics of the WWI battlefield. Carrier pigeons for communication, the cavalry-like charges over the wall, that entire transition from “the battlefield” to modern mechanized warfare….
Schroder, love him or hate him, does a great job here. He maintains that sort of ‘officer stature’ throughout, while never disconnecting with his men. His final words sum up the tone of the picture. “These men are better than you, they’re better than me.”
The special effects and production here is absolutely amazing for a made-for-TV bit as well. While I’m no expert on WWI armaments and equipment, I never once felt that anything was out of place, or that anything was (technically) wrong in any way. The pacing is just perfect on top of everything else. We pause just long enough for the men to recover from the latest attack, and to muse on the madness of war and to comment on the disconnect between the men in the field and the officers back at command.
My only gripes might be the fact that it’s in 4:3, but for a TV-bound show I guess you can’t expect too much more. I can only imagine what this would have been in full scope though. The soundtrack is rather “TV like” as well, but it never gets too bad.
The Lost Battalion is a greatly-overlooked modern day classic in this reviewer’s book. I will watch this again.
Here’s a snippet, if in somewhat poor picture quality.
Related posts:
