Clevercell Very disappointing...

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Executscan Expected more

craig-fraser87 After a few days of watching back to back WW1 and WW2 films both blockbuster and independent, I eventually got down my list to The War I Knew.I wish I never knew this film existed!From the very start the script and acting are cheesy, wooden and what you'd expect from a high school drama group, and a bad one at that.I'm not even being picky about the uniforms, weapons or the landscape chosen for the filming. I'll give them some slack on that front as these things cost money. But to get the colour or consistency of blood is one of the easiest and cheapest things to do, I'll give you a head start! it's not one shade of pink or looks like coloured water.The acting and the script come across as a mixture of a really bad episode of Dad's Army meets a Carry On film and then all of a sudden they try acting with some seriousness and grit...to be honest, I've felt more real emotion from a episode of the teletubbies when there's no tubby toast.If they intended to show respect to those who fought in the war then they did the complete opposite. No group of soldiers, behind enemy lines would jump up in the air shouting and whooping, high fiving each other after shooting a German soldier.This should really be in a spoof comedy genre just so viewers know to avoid it.

deangeli As one of the team that runs The Fleapit Cinema Club in Westerham, Kent we have got to know writer/director Ian Vernon well. To date, we have screened three of his films including The War I Knew which was the second showing at our recent UK Independent Film Festival. All three have been extremely well received by our audiences. The dismissive reviews, or rather their tone, are therefore at odds with the response of over 100 people.True independent films often have to look through the other end of the telescope and their joy and incidental purpose is to offer a counter-perspective to blockbuster spectacle. So I will not patronise either Ian or his film by evoking the no-money argument, too often used to justify independent films. While a tight budget (and they don't come tighter than his) can explain the necessity of a certain historical laissez faire when it comes to, say, props and costume, it can never excuse either a poor script or poor acting. So, yes, the uniforms and guns in The War I Knew are not exactly right. If you really want to be picky, some don't even fit – and the guns don't fire. Nor was it shot in France anymore than Star Wars was shot in a galaxy far, far away. But does any of this matter? Of course not – it's a feature film, not a documentary. Besides, these inaccuracies compromise neither the emotional truth of the piece (its great achievement), nor our understanding of its narrative. Are we ever in doubt as to who is English, French or German? But what of the stuff that actually matters? Well, if assessed objectively, the script emerges as crisp, engaging and textured; the story undoubtedly compelling and the acting forceful yet nuanced. When you watch it, look into the actors' eyes, not down at their belt buckles. Do that and you'll find a rewardingly original and revealing take on what happens when people are sent to war.Of course, you may not like it but I know enough people who do to recommend it. Watching any film is a gamble and no film is ever enjoyed by everyone but just because you don't like broccoli, doesn't make it a bad vegetable.

info-224-609917 I you expect all the fear and wondrous suspense this kind of plot/theme could bring you, you will be largely disappointed. A journey like this could well have been an emotionally terrifying personal experience, yet it became a continuous parade of semi humorous and would be heroic encounters by a bunch of unyielding shallow characters, which left me totally unsatisfied and - after a while - starting to skip scenes. I applaud any attempt to get a movie project together - not a easy task and I must say that technically this movie has a nice continuity, but, nothing gets to me more than having to listen to well-meaning attempts at speaking a foreign language that fail miserably. At least hire real Germans and French or use native voice overs to do the job. What also sort of perplexed me was the lack of realism. In a particular scene, for example, our heroes are sharpshooting moving German targets from quite a distance - one shot - one hit... I must admit never having seen the end of the movie - I could not come up with a good excuse to stay with it.

antongellard I love a good war movie but unfortunately this isn't one.From the opening sequence's where the British "Para's" are about to make a suicidal attack I could tell this was a poorly researched piece of film. The whole production is full of glaring historical mistakes that set the film up to be a massive failure.British Paratroopers wearing R.E.M.E blouses, brodie helmets and using American issued rifles.... 5 minutes on Wikipedia could have saved this productions team some embarrassment and myself 15 minutes of my life I can never get back.1/10