The Lost Battalion (2001)
WMB Rating:
(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5) 
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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.
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Description
For a generation the Lost Battalion exemplified the best of America’s involvement in World War I. Until World War II pushed the Lost Battalion out of the national memory with its own scenes of horror and heroism, mention of the unit’s name summoned up what America admired in its soldiers: unpretentious courage, dogged resistance, and good cheer and adaptation under adversity.
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 The Lost Battalion The Complete Uncut Movie Starring Rick Schroder with Bonus Program : Dear Home - Letters From World War I |
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I agree. It reminds me of another made for TV movie that gets forgotten – the remake of “All Quiet”. Ironically, Richard Thomas is the lead in that. He is as close to Rick Schroder as you can get. The shot when one of the soldiers gets hit by a shell and ceases to be is soemthing I remember years later. That was an amazing special effect.
I feel critics do not take made for TV movies seriously. Some of the greatest war movies are made for TV – “Rumor of War”, “Gettysburg”, “When Trumpets Fade”, “Band of Brothers”, “All Quiet on the Western Front”.