Everyman's War
Directed by: Thad SmithStarring: Cole Carson, Sean McGrath, Brian Julian, Eric Martin Reid Synopsis: Based on the memoirs of Veteran Don Smith, Everyman’s War follows a group of young soldiers from very different backgrounds and how they bonded together during the final years of World War II, starting from their arrival in France through to the Battle of the Bulge... Review:Even though it was shot on a fraction of the budget for Band Of Brothers, Everyman’s War proves to be a reasonably compelling story packed with authentic detail. The film is book-ended by scenes with an elderly Don Smith being notified that another one of his colleagues has now passed away, leading him to remember back when he was a saw-mill worker just before joining the army, and the woman he’d just met before being enlisted. We also get to meet a few other characters, notably Benedetto, a small-time thief who joins the army to stay out of jail, and Heinrich, a German-born immigrant who joins the army to prove he’s not a Nazi. The joys of this film are in the authentic detail, such as the Corporal explaining the GI’s routine on the troop ship. It helps to sell the situation as more real. There is little in the way of CGI in the film – other than a couple of shots of passing planes, all the equipment, armour and artillery is the real deal and authentic for the time and place. First-time director Thad Smith manages to pull together a couple of decent looking action sequences too – a deadly gauntlet run through a forest under artillery fire and the Battle of the Bulge itself, as Smith and his men find themselves woefully under-armed against the 11th Panzer Division. The acting isn’t the best you’re likely to see, but everyone throws themselves into their roles and the script for the most part gives them some decent dialogue to work with. So many movies have been made about World War 2 that the genre has its own clichés and Everyman’s War falls prey to some of them – an excrutiating “Have I shown you a picture of my wife and kids?” scene being a prime example. Everyman’s War does boast some strong dramatic scenes though. One of the best comes when Smith and another soldier is having to man a machine gun post at night. Twenty yards in front of them is a dead, soldier, frozen in the harsh winter night. They can’t do anything about it – to leave their trench would be suicide. So it just lies, there, frozen, until it invades their dreams...Another big scene is when a wounded Smith tries to make it back to town to warn the troops that Panzer tanks are heading their way. Blood oozing from a wounded arm, leaving a dark red trail in the snow, Smith comes under the scrutiny of a German sniper, who has him between his cross-hairs... Verdict: The wrap-around story doesn’t work, and some of the script is overly clichéd, but in capturing the details and authenticity of the time and place, Everyman’s War manages to transcend it’s budget constraints to produce a thoughtful and entertaining true-life account of the General Infantry in general and the Battle of the Bulge in particular. 5 out of 10 (MikeOutWest) New! CommentsHave your say about this! Leave me a comment in the box below. |
