Wordiezett So much average

Console best movie i've ever seen.

Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

vchimpanzee In Europe during World War II, Losey and Deming are deserters. One of the MPs calls Losey "Airborne" because he doesn't think much of the 82nd Airborne, or of "men who jump out of perfectly good airplanes." An explosion knocks the jeep off the road and at least one of the MPs is dead. A couple of others die after they encounter mines trying to get back to civilization. Deming swaps dog tags with one of the dead men, declares himself to be free, and orders Losey to come along.Deming has no compassion and constantly yells "Quit squawking and start walking." He also uses a lot of other language that didn't make it to broadcast TV. Losey does show compassion to others, though. Soon the men encounter a church that is mostly destroyed, and a priest who was driven mad. It appears the priest will come with them, but at some point he is no longer around. The men also find a horse which helps them reach a better destination.Every now and then we see what are either flashbacks of a better life in the United States, or visions of the war. One vision takes place in what is left of what appears to be a school. We see a teacher and happy children, whose lives are devastated by the war.Most of the movie takes place in a large industrial looking building, the type preservationists want to save in today's world. This one is in pretty bad shape, but the men see no real value to it for the Germans. Then two civilians show up. We have seen the woman before. Maybe it's the hair, but she looks like Susan Sarandon. Looking at the cast list and the actors' photos, I think she is Maria, played by Linda Thorson. A man is with her, and he is tough and a leader. His voice sounds like the man who used to introduce Hallmark Hall of Fame movies, but beyond that, I don't know which one he is. What is important that these two are taking care of a group of children, some of whom don't understand this isn't a game. One boy has no legs but has a lot of determination and gets around well. A girl, who Losey realizes was once beautiful when he sees a painting of her, wears a mask.Deming points a gun at the woman and demands to see everything, but declares her to be no Betty Grable. Later, everyone has to work together when a German unit shows up. And what happens then is pretty amazing.This appears to be a good movie, for those who like this sort of thing. There's not a lot of happiness here, but we see people get things done and stand tall despite obstacles, even though the two stars are nothing more than cowards at the beginning.The main adult actors all give good performances. I would also add the German officer to that list. He is not evil but just doing his job. At one point he states that he feels like a father to his men.The children do a great job, and I would single out the boy with no legs and the girl with no mask, even though neither says a word. You can just see their determination and courage.A few years ago a TV detective lost either his wife or his son in a car accident. When the son was alive everything appeared blue. That's how much of the movie is. Colors are much more vivid in the flashbacks and visions, though in one case Losey is having a nightmare and everything quickly turns blue, followed by bright orange when there are explosions. It's quite an effective technique. I do wish the brightly colored flashbacks had lasted longer and had more character development, because we really needed positive images.It's quite good if you like this sort of thing.

lastliberal The Orphanage meets Private Ryan. This is certainly a different type of WWII film. Not your daddy's tale of bravery.But, it is just what you would expect from writer/director Jeff Burr, who gave us Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, Puppet Master 4 & 5, and Pumpkinhead II. A slightly bizarre twist on the usual WWII story.Two deserters, Ryan Francis and Scott MacDonald, come upon a group of orphans that have mental and physical handicaps. The man and woman who ran the orphanage before the war trained them to fight. Deming (MacDonald) is a real sleaze, who tries to rape the woman despite her obvious scars. They are attacked by 60 Germans who are after treasure in the building where they are holed up.The story is a mixture of strange and tender amidst the horrors of war. There is enough of Burr's past work to keep horror fans interested, but there is a beauty underneath, if you look for it.Check it out for a different take on war.

david-booth3 In a world full of violence, to go back to a period of legitimate violence and introduce some of the elements that makes the type of modern warfare that freely uses children as protagonists, so horrific, is a very clever comment. This is probably the best film I have seen for some time, another well scripted, well acted world war two movie that was clearly made to a budget, and worth every penny. Using the notion that ones life is constantly replaying itself as a method of anchoring the personality of one character elucidates the sympathy that the character deserves and gives a meaning to his existence. It is very easy to see violence set in the past as acceptable while the same type of violence now is unacceptable and to have warm lovable characters performing excusable yet still unacceptable actions. I was left with a sense of moral confusion, feeling that the action was right, yet knowing that it was wrong. If for no other reason, the need to deal with my confusion, makes this a movie I shall watch again.

trobinson017 I don't see how anyone could give this "gem" any good comments. Long, slow moving, drawn out storyline, barely visible plot, bad acting, absolutely pointless flashbacks/dream sequences. I could barely stand to watch the whole thing but I just had to see if ANYTHING would redeem this mess. The description on the CD case made it sound like a thriller on the edge of scary type of war movie. It wasn't sad, funny, scary or thrilling. It was just plain old boring. I haven't seen anything else by Jeff Burr but if this is the best he can do I'll avoid any of his other works like the plague! Save your money and rent something worthwhile, like Erasurehead.