A Midnight Clear is based on the William Wharton novel of the same name, and while I've not read the book, I will always keep this picture near the top of my all-time favorite war movies.

The story follows one Sgt. Will Knott (as in "will not"? played by Ethan Hawke) and his squad, well, half-squad of men who are ordered to an abandoned house near the lines to keep tabs on enemy activity.  In this squad are the old-man of the bunch "Mother" (Gary Sinise), the failed priest-student "Father" (Frank Whaley), and the other typical soldier types played by Kevin Dillon, Peter Berg, and Arye Gross, whos character Shutzer just happens to be Jewish.

Did I fail to mention that this little excursion takes place during the battle of the bulge, in late December just before the German counter offensive?  Yeah, that's where things get really interesting.   One night, they encounter a German squad outside their position, but quickly begin to realize that this is not your typical wartime encounter.

While it's true that '95 was a bit late to be making US vs. Russia Nuclear Missile Scare Movies(tm), Crimson Tide pulls it off in a big way.  I have to admit, I hadn't watched this movie in several years, and quite frankly forgot just how good it really is.

The film's story really isn't a new one, having been played out in other movies such as "The Enemy Below" (which gets referred to in this film early on, nice touch!)  The tale of impending nuclear destruction and the moral dilemmas that must preoccupy the people responsible for executing such orders.

Rookie Executive Office Lt. Cmdr. Hunter (Denzel Washington) goes up against the battle hardened Captain Ramsey (Gene Hackman) of the submarine USS Alabama with the itchy trigger finger.  They've been given orders to launch a nuclear strike, but later receive a partial message which neither confirms or retracts those orders.  Taking the moral high ground, unwilling to lauch the strike without confirmation, Hunter takes the ship from Ramsey.

All the while they're being hunted by what is presumably a Russian attack sub, and pull through that battle in the midst of the internal conflict.  Not before suffering some severe damage and causing Hunter to have to make some difficult choices.

Ramsey, however, is not content to have his command subverted, and stages yet another takeover, and finally the issue is resolved for the better.

What makes this film shine is the chemistry and tension between Washington and Hackman.  These guys are top-notch actors, and manage to create an atmosphere of conflict so thick you could cut it with a knife.  Their conflict between executing the orders given "as is" and interpreting those orders correctly in such a situation is really what drives this picture.

The direction (Tony Scott) is stellar, also, and really makes you feel the close-quarters cramped nature of submarine life.  I don't think there were many shots that didn't make you feel like you were right in the characters' faces.

Admittedly there is a lot of submarine mechanics which sort of get in the way, like the constant repetition of orders into the handsets, sometimes three and four times.  Hey, this is a submarine movie! You have to expect things like that.

The external sub shots during the battle with the Akula class sub really aren't the best examples of special effects, either.  While it may reflect what it might actually look like, it doesn't translate well on camera.  Either that or not much attention was paid to these scenes during production.

Crimson Tide is rated R for numerous f-bombs and other language, and I really can't say any more than that!  I really enjoyed rediscovering this picture!

Technorati Tags: war movie review, crimson tide, 1995, denzel washington, gene hackman, submarine, cold war, nuclear war

I've always wanted to see "Jacob's Ladder" since it came out, and never had the opportunity. When it finally aired on HDNet Movies this past weekend I made a point of staying up and watching it. I'm glad I did.

I suppose you could say this isn't a "war movie" in the strictest sense, but it's premise relies on the Vietnam war experience of one Private Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins.) In fact the movie starts out with an ambush on his platoon's position by an unknown force.

And then it gets weird. And it keeps getting weirder. Part horror movie, part psychological thriller, part conspiracy movie, this thing just keeps your brain wondering just what the *@$% is going on! And it does it in a way that keeps you on the edge of your seat, and sometimes hiding behind it.

I'm sitting here trying to come up with a way to explain it without spoiling it. If you have seen it you'll understand, if not then there is no other way than to see it. Period.

Tim Robbins as usual does an amazing job in his portrayal of Singer. Facing his angels and demons and trying to make sense of what is happening to him and his ex-army buddies. I will say that a big part of this revolves around him (seemingly) discovering that his unit was exposed to an experimental chemical agent that was supposed to make them better warriors, but had undesired effects. The film ends with a slide explaining that there are unconfirmed rumors that troops were actually exposed to a chemical called 'BX', but how that matters given the outcome of the movie really doesn't make any sense when you think about it.

When its over, you'll look back and see certain things that begin to make sense, especially when it comes to the whole angels-and-demons thing, and in particular Danny Aiello's role as Louis, Singers chiropractor.

Only tangentially a "war movie," "Jacob's Ladder" is an experience that must be seen to be understood.



Technorati Tags: war movies, movies, jacob's ladder, vietnam, reviews

Earn this.

There are your standard-issue war movies.  And then there are epic masterpieces such as Saving Private Ryan which should be the gold standard to measure all others against.

It is primarily the story of Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) and his squad of soldiers as they survive the hellish D-Day invasion, and are tasked with the mission of bringing one Private James Ryan home, as his three other brothers had been KIA in the war to date.

In true war-movie fashion, Private Ryan is more-or-less episodic in nature, with each episode illustrating the war (and war in general) in various lights, none of them particularly pleasant.

Sure its a bit on the bloody and dirty side.  It has to be.  That's how it is.  And, yes, it does get a bit cliched at times, but I don't think it can be helped.

Of great importance also is the side-story role of Corporal Upham, the idealist office-boy translator who learns a hard lesson about the truth of war.

However, all that being said, the true "meaning" of Private Ryan is not any of that.  We should all put ourselves in the shoes of the young Private Ryan, as Captain Miller utters his dying words, "Earn this."  We should all remember that message....

That ordinary people were (and continue to be) called upon to perform extraordinary and terrible duties for the greater good of all of us.

Technorati Tags: war movies, saving private ryan, dvd, earn this, world war ii

In 1993's Sniper, we travel to Central America to fight the good fight in the "war on drugs," er, I think.  No, actually we're playing CIA games to try and meddle in the affairs of nations.  Yeah, that's better.

Anyway, we find veteran expert sniper Thomas Beckett (Tom Berenger) sent off to eliminate the army general set to take over Panama, oh, and while you're there, Tom, why not take out any other targets of opportunity, like the evil druglord.

I'm not even sure how to begin with (or end, or even put the stuff in the middle of) this review. On the one hand, Stalingrad is a stark depiction of what it must have been like during the battle of the same name. Full of vivid, graphic, and disturbing imagery, it paints a depressing picture, and rightly so. Not only in the production and effects, but the main characters, a squad of Germans, themselves get torn apart, inside and out, until the very end.

On the other hand, I found the film lacking in a few respects. The characters themselves don't seem to have much personality at all. The one exception might be the company Lieutenant, Witzland (Thomas Kretschmann.) He is the epitome of the man thrust into the heart of an evil situation, trying hopelessly to do the right thing, and it winds up the method of his destruction....

Ah, submarine movies. (Deep Breath).  If you've followed the site for any length of time you probably know I've developed a soft-spot for the sub-genre (no pun intended!) and 1990's adaptation of the Tom Clancy novel The Hunt For Red October is no exception.

In case you haven't actually seen "Red October", or read it, the plot goes something like this:  A Soviet sub commander, Marko Ramius (Sean Connery) takes a brand-new, experimental submarine on a mission to defect to the US with some of his officers.  As you can imagine this doesn't sit well with the rest of the Soviet Navy, and causes a fair amount of confusion on the US side of things.

That's where the venerable character of CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) comes in.  The resident expert on Ramius, he's dispatched to the submarine USS Dallas to actually meet with Ramius, prove his intention to defect, and bring him and the submarine home safely.  Natch, right?