A Private War (2018)

I completely forgot about A Private War but then an old lady I know said it was worth seeing and since we apparently have similar tastes —I suggested her Cold War and she loved it— I checked it out. 

The story follows Marie Colvin (Rosamunde Pike), an American journalist who worked as a foreign affairs correspondent for the British newspaper The Sunday Times from 1985 to 2012, the year of her death. Alternating between brief moments of Colvin in war zones to cover a story and equally brief moments of Colvin celebrating her journalistic accomplishments with her bosses, the film shows how Colvin was personally affected by the horrors of war.

12 Strong (2018)

I'm not the biggest fan of war movies and I usually avoid them, especially when I haven't heard much about them, whether it's good or bad things. 12 Strong stars Chris Hemsworth though and there's also Michael Shannon in it so I gave it a chance. 

The film tells the true story of a US Special Forces team, led by Captain Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth), who, weeks after 9/11, was sent into Afghanistan to retaliate. There they form an alliance with an Afgan warlord, Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum (Navid Negahban), in order to fight a common enemy, the Taliban, and secure the strategic city of Mazar-i-Sharif. And they have to face off tanks and rockets on horseback.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983)

Original Title

戦場のメリークリスマス Senjō no Merī Kurisumasu

Genre

Drama | War

Director

Nagisa Oshima

Country

UK | Japan | New Zealand

Cast

David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Takeshi Kitano, Jack Thompson, Johnny Okra, Alistair Browning, James Malcolm, Chris Brown, Yuya Uchida, Ryunosuke Kaneda, Takashi Naito, Tamio Ishikura, Rokko Toura, Kan Mikami, Hideo Murota

Storyline

During WWII,  British colonel Lawrence (Tom Conti) tries to bridge the cultural divides between a British POW (David Bowie) and the Japanese camp commander (Ryuichi Sakamoto) in order to avoid bloodshed.

Opinion

Don't be fooled by the title, "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" ain't a Christmas film, but an intense, thought-provoking and moving war drama.

Loosely based on Laurens van der Post's "The Seed and the Sower", the story is at times quite disturbing yet very beautiful and incredibly involving. 

But why waste both your and my time to talk about the plot? That's not what the film is about. It is about the characters. Characters that are beautifully developed which allows us to understand their conflicts and motivations. Also it's incredible how the film shows compassion for every character, making no distinction between British and Japanese, using this compassion to show that there is no bad guy, men all are the same, they just find themselves in the position to do what they have to do.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" beautifully shows the atrocities of war and how the lack of understanding between countries can create so much destruction. It also shows both the physical and mental abuse the prisoners had to live.

However, I cannot imagine the film working this good without its musical score. Composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto - also playing the Japanese camp commander -, the score is absolutely fantastic and fits every scene to perfection.

And at last the acting. I read people were making such a big deal about David Bowie being in the film, and I understand why. His performance as Jack Celliers is superb and he perfectly captures every shade of his character. Tom Conti is also excellent as the British colonel, Ryuichi Sakamoto is simply perfect and Takashi Kitano does a great job as the only "human" Japanese.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)

Genre

Biography | Comedy | Drama | War

Directors

Glenn Ficarra | John Requa

Country

USA

Cast

Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Christopher Abbott, Billy Bob Thornton, Alfred Molina, Sheila Vand, Nicholas Braun, Steve Peacocke, Evan Jonigkeit, Scott Takeda, Josh Charles, Cherry Jones, Sterling K. Brown, Thomas Kretschmann

Storyline

News copywriter Kim Baker (Tina Fey) decides to leave the comfort of a New York desk job to accept the assignment to work as on-camera war reporter in Afghanistan. 

Opinion

I am not a huge fan of war films but since this one is was supposed to be more of a comedy rather than a drama and it's directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, the two guys who directed "Crazy, Stupid, Love." some years ago, I decided to give it a try. Was it worth it? It's complicated.

As for the black comedy part, "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" is a decent and overall watchable film, as for the issue addreses, it is a pretty well done picture.

I don't know the real story so I am not able to make comparisons and I won't even look it up on the internet and pretend like I did know it. Instead I'm going to say that the story of this brave woman is quite interesting and that the storytelling flows quite well.

At some point though it got me worried because it felt like a drama pretending to be a comedy that was also asking us to sympathize with the main character who wasn't sympathetic at all. Just like happened in the dreadful "Eat Pray Love". But eventually the film showed off its well written character and mostly important, it addressed a serious issue that many don't even think about: that non-return point when a reporter gets used to the danger and that life on the razor's edge that ends up considering it normality, and that would do anything for an exclusive, even endanger their and the others lives. The filmmakers really did a good job at portraying the kind of addiction war can be for a reporter.

On the other hand there is the comedy. The film doesn't really work as such, but the good thing is that the drama is there and does work. And Tiny Fey gives a pretty solid performance in her dramatic role.

1941 (1979)

Genre

Action | Comedy | War

Director

Steven Spielberg

Country

USA

Cast

Dan Aykroyd, Ned Beatty, John Belushi, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Christopher Lee, Tim Matheson, Toshiro Mifune, Warren Oates, Robert Stack, Treat Williams, Nancy Allen, Eddie Deezen, Bobby Di Cicco, Dianne Kay, Slim Pickens, Michael McKean

Storyline

It's been six days since the attack on Pearl Harbor and hysterical Californians prepare for a Japanese invasion.

Opinion

I can't imagine how anyone, especially Steven Spielberg, can make something like this and call it 'spectacular'. He oughta be sarcastic, because "1941" is not spectacular and for the matter is not even a comedy.

For the first time I'm here saying that a storyline of a Spielberg movie is utterly stupid and ridiculous. And boring, let's not forget that, because it really is soporific and so not engaging. And it's wrong to call it 'storyline' because there is no actual story. It's just a series of random events of different groups of people that have only one thing in common: they all are living in 1941.

Now one could say that there is nothing wrong with a film made of a series of vignettes. There are some pretty good (or decent) films that don't have a real storyline, like Woody Allen's "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask". What's the difference between that and this one? Something called humour. There is only immature humour that isn't even funny so basically there is no humour. At every single "joke" there was only one thing on my mind and it was "You have to be kidding me. This has to be a parody, it can't be a Spielberg movie."

And just to stay on theme with the shitty writing, the characters are terrible too. There is no character development whatsoever and there are too many of them you can't even have the luxury to fall asleep for 30 seconds - I'm sorry but that's the effect of the film - because you already aren't able to keep track of them all.

However, the most shocking aspect about "1941" is the cast. First, I cannot believe that all these fine actors agreed to make this film; second, how did they manage to do such an awful job? 

I am speechless.

Macbeth (2015)

Genre

Drama | War

Director

Justin Kurzel

Country

UK | France | USA

Cast

Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Paddy Considine, Sean Harris, Jack Reynor, Elizabeth Debicki, David Thewlis, David Hayman, Maurice Roëves, Ross Anderson, James Harkness, Seylan Baxter, Lochlann Harris, Hilton McRae, Scott Dymond, Rebecca Benson, Gerard Miller, Roy Sampson

Storyline

Macbeth (Michael Fassbender), the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.

Opinion

Of all the tragedies William Shakespeare has written Macbeth is not my favourite. By far. And I would have avoided this adaptation if it wasn't for Michael Fassbender. And I would have probably made the right decision.

In fact, Justin Kurzel's "Macbeth" is a watchable interpretation elevated by a spectacular Michael Fassbender and a magnetic Marion Cotillard.

One of the characteristics of Shakespeare's tragedies is their actuality, and Kurzel took advantage of it to tell the story of the valiant Macbeth who falls victim to an unbridled thirst for power. The themes of greed and success to be achieved at any cost are relevant today more than ever, as well as is the matter of soldiers hunted by war.

The decision to stick to the play is one of the film's strengths, as it's its fidelity to the Shakespearean drama, especially from the point of view of language, that allows the film to portray the drama so well. But at the same time it is a weakness because the purely Shakespearean dialogue is quite difficult to follow - especially for non-native English speakers -, and it shows complete lack of originality.

From the aesthetic point of view, the slow motion in the battle sequences, the desaturation of colours, and the slowness of movements recalls Zack Snyder's "300", and while they highlight the bloody path of Macbeth, they don't leave much room for feelings.

However, the cast makes it worth it. Michael Fassbender portrays the deterioration of Macbeth beautifully, communicating the evolution of his character with his intense expressivity. Marion Cotillard is sublime as Lady Macbeth and she is not overshadowed by Fassbender.

The Book Thief (2013)

Genre

Drama | War

Director

Brian Percival

Country

USA | Germany

Cast

Sophie Nélisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Ben Schnetzer, Nico Liersch, Sandra Nedeleff, Hildegard Schroedter, Rafael Gareisen, Gotthard Lange, Godehard Giese, Roger Allam, Oliver Stokowski, Barbara Auer, Heike Makatsch, Lein Liam, Carina Wiese

Storyline

While subjected to the horrors of World War II Germany, young Liesel Meminger (Sophie Nélisse) is forced to live with adoptive parents Hans (Geoffrey Rush) and Rosa Hubermann (Emily Watson). She will eventually find solace by stealing books and sharing them with others, especially with Max (Ben Schnetzer), the Jewish refugee being sheltered by her foster family.

Opinion

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

A few month ago I read this beautiful, extraordinary, moving book called The Book Thief, written by some Markus Zusak. Never before I felt so engaged, and enchanted by a book. It left me speechless, and I've been thinking about it quite a lot, more, however, than I usually do. I loved every single aspect of the book. The characters. The plot. The tragic, yet beautiful ending. The Death.

Then last night I watched this film, and I could barely make it through it. Probably one of the worst screen adaptation ever made, Percival's The Book Thief is a tedious, bloody awful film.

The film is bad on so many levels it's hard to explain, but I'll try. First of all, calling a cinematographic adaptation a thing that barely follows the book, and basically skips half of it, leaving tons of important events, and scenes behind, is an insult. The script jumps from a thing to another, and it's impossible for someone who read the book to follow. 

One of the strong elements of the book is the creative narration. Instead of just using a third-person narrator, Zusak used Death and he was able to offer a unique perspective on all the death and dying occurring during this dark period in history. In the film, Death is barely there, she just shows up at random. Furthermore, the final image of Death walking along the streets is nothing but inappropriate, and completely disconnect from the content.

The characters, what a mess. Every single character, even minor ones, has a strong development in the book. Here, there is no character development, and you feel completely disconnected to all of them. Rudy is annoying, and acts like a jealous boyfriend, and his relationship with Liesel is so downplayed. Then, when he dies at the end of the film, it does not have the same emotional charge that it should have. Actually, it has none.

As if all of that wasn't enough, the film doesn't even manage to capture the horrors of Nazi Germany, and that's really bad considering this is an American and German production.

The acting pops out like a dandelion in the snow, but I must say that none of the actors looked how I imagined the characters. Despite the awful script she had to work with, young Sophie Nélisse does a good job in the role of Liesel Meminger. The other young lead, Nico Liersch, also does a good job. Geoffrey Rush as Hans Hubermann and Emily Watson as his wife do their best to save this unsavable mess. Ben Schnetzer does not an awful job as Max, but he is less convincing than the others.

The sad thing is that this film could have had Oscar written all over it, but it is just a waste of time and money. Do yourself a favour, avoid this film and read the book, instead.

Beasts of No Nation (2015)

Genre

Drama | War

Director

Cary Joji Fukunaga

Country

USA

Cast

Abraham Attah, Idris Elba, Ama K. Abebrese, Kobina Amissah-Sam, Emmanuel Nii Adom Quaye, Grace Nortey, David Dontoh, Opeyemi Fagbohungbe

Storyline

In West Africa, the life of young Agu (Abraham Attah) is disrupted when his father (Kobina Amissah-Sam) is slaughtered in a civil war and he is inscripted as a child soldier into a mercenary unit led by the sadistic Commandant (Idris Elba).

Opinion

I've been looking forward to watch this film for months, and now that I've finally seen it I can say it was worth the waiting.

Definitely hard to watch, "Beasts of No Nation" is a devastating and one of the most powerful war films recently made that brutally shows the horror humankind can commit.

After working for seven years on the script, Cary Joji Fukunaga went to Africa to tell a heart-wrenching story of war, child soldiers, slaughters and desolation. He managed to do all of that tactfully, avoiding to fall into vulgarity, and he took all the time he needed to tell not only about war, but about the drastic psychological change of Agu, firstly child, then man, and lastly soldier.

With his beautiful documentary-looking cinematography, Fukunaga captures the horrors of war also making use of dark and gloomy ambiences, sometimes empty - like the soldiers' minds -, and sometimes immersed in the jungle.

Last but not least, the acting. Young Abraham Attah does an outstanding job at showing his character's transformation, from innocent young boy to brutal warrior, and probably gives the best performance by a child actor that I've ever seen. Immense and charismatic, Idris Elba delivers a terrific performance as the Commandant, the man who sees children like animals that only have to follow orders, and deserves part of the credits for the making of this disturbing film. The rest of the cast is also great, in particular the children.

So Idris Elba is not going to be the next James Bond? Not a big deal as long as he keeps working on these kind of projects.

Quotes

Agu: Bullet is just eating everything, leaves, trees, ground, person. Eating them. Just making person to bleed everywhere. We are just like wild animals now, with no place to be going. Sun, why are you shining at this world? I am wanting to catch you in my hands, to squeeze you until you can not shine no more. That way, everything is always dark and nobody's ever having to see all the terrible things that are happening here.

The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)

Genre

Drama | History | War

Director

Ken Loach

Country

UK | Ireland

Cast

Cillian Murphy, Pádraic Delaney, Liam Cunningham, Orla Fitzgerald, Laurence Barry, Mary Murphy, Myles Horgan, Martin Lucey, Roger Allam, John Crean, Damien Kearney, Frank Bourke, Shane Casey, Máirtín de Cógáin, William Ruane, Fiona Lawton, Sean McGinley, Kevin O'Brien

Storyline

Ireland, 1920. Workers from field and country unite to form volunteer guerrilla armies to face the 'Black and Tans' squads that are being shipped from Britain to block Ireland's bid for independence. Driven by a deep sense of duty and love for his country, Damien O'Donovan (Cillian Murphy) abandons his burgeoning career as a doctor and joins his brother, Teddy (Pádraic Delaney), in a dangerous and violent fight for freedom. As the freedom fighters' bold tactics bring the British to breaking point, both sides finally agree to a treaty to end the bloodshed. But, despite the apparent victory, civil war erupts and the families, who fought side by side, find themselves pitted against one another as sworn enemies, putting their loyalties to the ultimate test.

Opinion

Brutal, intense, and heartbreaking, The Wind That Shakes the Barley wonderfully outlines a tragic period of Irish history.

A decade after Land and Freedom, following the Spanish Civil War, British Ken Loach came back with another piece of twentieth-century history. This time he deals with the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. 

Obligated to take a stand, Loach he takes the side of the oppressed, the Irish. But he is clearly not intentioned in making IRA propaganda, or portraying Irish as unblemished heroes and martyrs, and that is shown by two pretty much identical scenes, one in the middle and the other at the end of the film. Those two scenes show brutality and atrocity of civil war, and underline its ability to set nation against nation, man against compatriot, and brother against brother.

The writing is a good and bad. While the dialogue is good, and the story works fine, the characters lack of something. The portrayal of the characters might be maximised by body language, but the character development is rather poor, and the film fails in creating characters you care about.

The photography is superb, and the costumes are excellent, but the sceneries are a bit monotonous and repetitive considering all Ireland has to offer.

The acting is overall good. Cillian Murphy convincingly plays Damien O'Donovan, even though Pádraic Delaney does a better job in the role of his brother Teddy, as he is blessed with a more interesting character. Liam Cunningham stands out among the supporting cast.

This may not be a masterpiece, but it's worth the time. 

Quotes

Damien: It's easy to know what you are against, but quite another to know what you are for.

Hotel Rwanda (2004)

Genre

Drama | History | War

Director

Terry George

Country

UK | Italy | South Africa

Cast

Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Nick Nolte, Joaquin Phoenix, Fana Mokoena, Cara Seymour, Jean Reno, Tony Kgoroge, Desmond Dube, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Leleti Khumalo, Antonio Lyons

Storyline

During the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), an ordinary man, summons extraordinary courage to save the lives of over a thousand helpless refugees, by granting them shelter in the hotel he manages.

Opinion

To tell a historical event is never easy, figure an event like this one, when in just three months about a million people were brutally murdered. But Terry George succeeded, mainly thank to a stratospheric Don Cheadle. 

Hard to be watched, but necessary to open our eyes, Hotel Rwanda is a poignant, heartfelt tale about a massacre, and a genuine hero.

The film does not sweeten the situation nor makes a saint out of the main character, but simply tells the story that our consciousness and our media have canceled because apparently not interesting enough to be remembered, as well as not important enough to do something back then.

The representation of the fighting is so disturbingly realistic that fills the film with drama and suspense until the very end.

Also, the film has several powerful, and touching scenes, during which holding back tears will be impossible. Just think of when Pat Archer reports the last words of the orphan (Please don't let them kill me, I promise I won't be Tutsi anymore) slain by the Hutus, or when the white people are being evacuated and they are told Rwandan children aren't allowed on the bus, or when they drive over the bodies.

Don Cheadle impressively carries the entire film, delivering a terrific performance as Paul Rusesabagina, the brave man who stood to do the right thing, and did something while the rest of the world looked away.

Quotes

Paul Rusesabagina: I am glad that you have shot this footage and that the world will see it. It is the only way we have a chance that people might intervene.

Jack: Yeah and if no one intervenes, is it still a good thing to show?

Paul Rusesabagina: How can they not intervene when they witness such atrocities?

Jack: I think if people see this footage they'll say, "oh my God that's horrible," and then go on eating their dinners.

300: Rise of an Empire (2014)

Genre

Action | Fantasy | War

Director

Noam Murro

Country

USA

Cast

Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, Rodrigo Santoro, Jack O'Connell, Hans Matheson, Callan Mulvey, David Wenham, Andrew Tiernan, Yigal Naor, Andrew Pleavin, Ben Turner, Ashraf Barhom, Peter Mensah, Gerard Butler, Michael Fassbender, Caitlin Carmichael, Jade Chynoweth

Plot

Greek general Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton) leads the charge against invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and vengeful commander of the Persian navy Artemisia (Eva Green).

300 (2006)

Genre

Action | Fantasy | War

Director

Zack Snyder

Country

USA

Cast

Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Giovani Cimmino, Dominic West, David Wenham, Vincent Regan, Tom Wisdom, Andrew Pleavin, Andrew Tiernan, Rodrigo Santoro, Stephen McHattie, Michael Fassbender, Peter Mensah, Kelly Craig, Tyler Neitzel, Robert Maillet, Patrick Sabongui, Leon Laderach, Tyrone Benskin

Plot

When the ambitious King Xerxes of Persia (Rodrigo Santoro) invades Greece with his army to extend his vast slave empire, the brave King Leonidas of Sparta (Gerard Butler) brings a force of 300 warriors to defend the passage of Thermopylae, the only way by land to reach Greece.

Opinion

300 is a boring and stupid action film, that more than anything looks like a big screen adaptation of Men's Health Magazine. 

The number of historical inaccuracies is so high, labeling the film as fantasy it's the least they could do. The dialogue is a pure joke, and the jokes are awful. Every single scene is filled with over-colour-correction and it feels like sitting in front of a video game demo for two hours.

Now it comes my favorite part: the characters. The warriors look like a group of bodybuilders armed with shields and spears, trying to contend the title of Physique of the Year. The only use for the female character - god-awful played by Lena Headey - in the film is a pointless and ridiculous sex scene. And last, but not least, the emotionally wounded hunchback that sells out the Spartans and makes them all die - as if they had any chances.

Actors are the most useless thing in the film. They could have casted some guys at the gym and still have the same result since pectoral muscles have a way bigger screen time than facial expression, and all the actors do is yelling.

Quotes

King Leonidas: Give them nothing! But take from them everything!

Twice Born (2012)

Original Title

Venuto al mondo

Genre

Drama | Romance | War

Director

Sergio Castellitto

Country

Italy | Spain

Cast

Penélope Cruz, Emile Hirsch, Adnan Haskovic, Saadet Aksoy, Pietro Castellitto, Luca De Filippo, Mira Furlan, Jane Birkin, Sergio Castellitto, Branko Djuric, Isabelle Adriani, Jovan Divjak, Sanja Vejnovic, Emina Muftic

Plot

Oft-married Gemma (Penélope Cruz) brings her teenage son Pietro (Pietro Castellitto) to Sarajevo, where his father (Emile Hirsch) died in the Bosnian conflict years ago.

Opinion

I haven't read the novel by Margaret Mazzantini, but the person who recommended me this film did, and enjoyed both, so I gave the film a try.

Twice Born is an ambitious and complex film that deals with love, motherhood at any cost, and horrors of war.

The film is certainly well built, and the direction from Sergio Castellitto - the novelist's husband - is great and manages to show love and war in the same moment, often leaving room for glances and music. Moving forward and backwards in time is certainly not new, but it always fascinates me. 

Penélope Cruz gives a magnificent and intense performance as Gemma. Needless to say is that Emile Hirsch's performance as Diego is wonderful. Adnan Haskovic as Gojco and Saadet Aksoy as Aska are outstanding. 

Having said that, I can't see how it is even possible for this film to have a 17% rating at Rotten Tomatoes, because if those people have actually seen this film, there is no way they could have give all those negative reviews.

Just a little note for whoever translated the title in English: why 'Twice Born'? It doesn't really make sense, it should have been 'Came to the world' or something like that.

Quotes

Diego: The weirdest love stories are always the best.

Gojco: Love only comes once. It moves like the sea. But it's always the same.

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Genre

Adventure | Drama | War

Director

Quentin Tarantino

Country

United States | Germany

Cast

Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger, Mélanie Laurent, August Diehl, Julie Dreyfus, Sylvester Groth, Jacky Ido, Denis Ménochet, Mike Myers, Rod Taylor, Martin Wuttke, Gedeon Burkhard, B.J. Novak, Omar Doom, Léa Seydoux, Richard Sammel, Alexander Fehling, Christian Berkel, Söhke Möhring, Samm Levine, Paul Rust, Michael Bacall, Rainer Bock, Bo Svenson, Enzo G. Castellari, Samuel L. Jackson, Harvey Keitel

Plot

In Nazi-occupied France, young Jewish refugee Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) witnesses the slaughter of her family by Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Shosanna narrowly escapes and flees to Paris, where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema. Elsewhere in Europe, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organizes a group of Jewish soldiers to engage in targeted acts of retribution. Known to their enemy as "The Basterds," Raine's squad joins German actress and undercover agent Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) on a mission to take down the leaders of The Third Reich. Fates converge under a cinema marquee, where Shosanna is poised to carry out a revenge plan of her own.

Opinion

The tagline says it all: you haven't seen war until you've seen it through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino. Inglourious Basterds is a brilliant, brave, exuberant, comic, dark, violent and glorious film.

Quentin Tarantino's pleasure to tell stories leads him to rewrite history, by telling the - fictional - assassination of Adolf Hitler, set in the only possible venue: a cinema.

The dialogue, the continuous tension, and the use of several languages - English, German, French and German -, on which irony is mostly based, make of this film a jewel of cinema. Also, the film is smooth and there is no heaviness resulting from its long running time.

The Spaghetti-Western score is magnificent, and the opening scene's song, The Verdict (Dopo la condanna), written by Ennio Morricone, is absolutely stunning.

The acting is pretty much great. Christoph Waltz is spectacular: he built a deep, detailed and realistic character, the kind of Nazi everyone would be afraid of. Brad Pitt's performance is not very good, and his Italian is pretty painful to be heard. August Diehl well plays the other sadistic German, very important in the final plot twist. Michael Fassbender is great as Lieutenant Archie Hicox, he has the chance to show off his almost perfect German, and he gets extra points for delivering the line, "There's a special rung in hell for people who waste good Scotch". 

Quotes

Lt. Aldo Raine: You probably heard we ain't in the prisoner-takin' business; we in the killin' Nazi business. And cousin, business is a-boomin'.

Bridget von Hammersmark: I know this is a silly question before I ask it, but can you Americans speak any other language besides English?

Rating

9.0/10

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

Original Title

El laberinto del fauno

Genre

Drama | Fantasy | War

Director

Guillermo del Toro

Country

Spain | Mexico

Cast

Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, Doug Jones, Ariadna Gil, Álex Angulo, Manolo Solo, César Vea, Roger Casamajor, Federico Luppi, Pablo Adán

Plot

In the falangist Spain of 1944, armed with only her imagination, young Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) discovers a mysterious labyrinth and meets a faun who sets her on a path to saving herself and her ailing mother.

Opinion

Pan's Labyrinth is an undefined film, a dark fairy tale for grown ups, halfway between the fantasy and the real world, which, in this case, is war. By looking around, I figured this is the main reason why many did not like the film. Having said this, I really liked it.

Guillermo del Toro, which deals with brutality and innocence, has created something different, something special. The continuous alternation between reality and fantasy, lived through a little girl's eyes, has an addictive rhythm.

Sergi López is excellent as the brutal and sadistic falangist Captain Vidal. Ivana Baquero, 11-year-old at that time, delivers a great performance.

Buy on Amazon.com | Buy/Rent on Amazon Instant Video

Quotes

Ofelia: Many, many years ago in a sad, faraway land, there was an enormous mountain made of rough, black stone. At sunset, on top of that mountain, a magic rose blossomed every night that made whoever plucked it immortal. But no one dared go near it because its thorns were full of poison. Men talked amongst themselves about their fear of death, and pain, but never about the promise of eternal life. And every day, the rose wilted, unable to bequeath its gift to anyone... forgotten and lost at the top of that cold, dark mountain, forever alone, until the end of time.

Rating

8.5/10

Tigerland (2000)

Genre

Drama | War

Director

Joel Schumacher

Country

United States

Cast

Colin Farrell, Matthew Davis, Clifton Collins Jr., Shea Whigham, Cole Hauser, Tom Guiry, Neil Brown, Tory Kittles, Nick Searcy, Afemo Omilami, Matt Gerald, Michael Shannon

Plot

In 1971, Roland Bozz (Colin Farrell) is a draftee who has been sent to the Advanced Infantry Training Facility in Fort Polk, LA, where with hundreds of other new soldiers he's to be taught a final course in combat skills before being shipped out to Vietnam. 

Opinion

Tigerland is not exactly a war film, it is more like the first half of Full Metal Jacket, but more dramatic and intense than any other anti-war film. The hand-held camera, the grainy film stock and the mostly natural lighting give the look and feel of a documentary.

Using a minuscule budget, director Joel Schumacher managed to make a great film, which is, in my opinion, one of the best Vietnam films along with Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket.

The acting is good; unknown at the time, Colin Farrell is terrific as Bozz, the rebellious and anti-war soldier. 

Buy on Amazon.com | Buy/Rent on Amazon Instant Video

Quotes

Staff Sgt. Thomas: Any questions?

Bozz: I got a question, Sergeant. If I'm dead, how come I can ask you a question?

Bozz: Courage is when you're the only guy who knows how shit-scared you really are.

Rating

8.5/10

The Hurt Locker (2008)

Genre

Drama | Thriller | War

Director

Kathryn Bigelow

Country

United States

Cast

Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, Christian Camargo, David Morse, Ralph Fiennes, Evangeline Lilly, Christopher Sayegh

Plot

During the Iraq War, Sergeant First Class William James (Jeremy Renner), recently assigned an army bomb squad, is put at odds with his squad mates Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) due to his maverick way of handling his work.

Opinion

At first I thought this was just another war film Americans love, but I was wrong. The Hurt Locker is about war, addiction, courage and alienation.

Beautifully directed by Kathryn Bigelow, the film is full of suspense and action. The cinematography by Barry Ackroyd is outstanding, and truly captures the Iraq War, but also war in general, in its rawness and brutality.

Jeremy Renner delivers an excellent performance as Sergeant Will James, a man addicted to danger and adrenaline. Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty, as Sanborn and Eldridge, James's partners, are impressive in their roles, and they do act like real soldiers.

Buy on Amazon.com | Buy/Rent on Amazon Instant Video

Quotes

Sergeant William James: [Speaking to his son] You love playing with that. You love playing with all your stuffed animals. You love your Mommy, your Daddy. You love your pajamas. You love everything, don't ya? Yeah. But you know what, buddy? As you get older... some of the things you love might not seem so special anymore. Like your Jack-in-a-Box. Maybe you'll realize it's just a piece of tin and a stuffed animal. And the older you get, the fewer things you really love. And by the time you get to my age, maybe it's only one or two things. With me, I think it's one.

Rating

9.0/10

Unbroken (2014)

Genre

Biography | Drama | War

Director

Angelina Jolie

Country

United States

Cast

Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund, Miyavi, Finn Wittrock, Jai Courtney, Luke Treadaway, Travis Jeffery, Jordan Patrick Smith, John Magaro, Alex Russell, John D'Leo, Vincenzo Amato, Ross Anderson, Maddalena Ischiale, Morgan Griffin, Savannah Lamble, Sophie Dalah

Plot

Louis Zamperini (Jack O'Connell), an Olympic athlete, joins the armed forces during World War II.
Captured by the Japanese navy after a plane crash in the Pacific, and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp, Zamperini must continue his fight by surviving through the war.

Opinion

This film got so much hate and I sincerely don't understand the reason. Based on Laura Hillenbrand's "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption" Unbroken is a brilliant film about friendship, inner strength and love.
A great and bright cinematography is provided by Roger Deakins. Coldplay's "Miracles" - ending credits - perfectly fits in the story and I couldn't imagine of a better song.
Jack O'Connell - I recently mentioned him in Eden Lake's review - is the real deal, and puts his efforts to portray such a man. Miyavi as The Bird does a great job.

Buy on Amazon.com | Buy on Amazon Instant Video

Quotes

Pete: A moment of pain, is worth a lifetime of glory.

Rating

8.5/10

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Genre

Drama | War

Director

Francis Ford Coppola

Country

United States

Cast

Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest, Albert Hall, Sam Bottoms, Laurence Fishburne, Dennis Hopper, G.D. Spradlin, Jerry Ziesmer, Harrison Ford, Scott Glenn, Bill Graham, Cynthia Wood, Linda Carpenter, Colleen Camp, R. Lee Ermey, Francis Ford Coppola, Charlie Sheen

Plot

During the Vietnam war, U.S. Army Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) is sent by Colonel Lucas (Harrison Ford) and Lt. General Corman (G.D. Spradlin) to carry out a dangerous mission that, officially, 'does not exist - nor will it ever exist': he has to kill the renegade and presumed insane U.S. Army Special Forces Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando).

Opinion

Apocalypse Now, besides being a film about the Vietnam war, is a film about Vietnam itself. Francis Ford Coppola's film is complex, ambitious and philosophical, and reaches the human psyche. 

Marlon Brando's Colonel Kurtz is a man who has reached his breaking point, and has retired in the jungle to live like a demigod, venerated by thousands of indigenous.

The closing scene of the ritual slaughter of a sacrificial bull is the most powerful of symbols.

Martin Sheen is outstanding - this is the first time I have seen him -, Robert Duvall, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning!", is great and fun to be watched as Colonel Kilgore, and Marlon Brando does a spectacular job as Kurtz. 

Buy/Rent on Amazon Instant Video: Original Version - Redux Version

Quotes

Colonel Walter E. Kurtz: I've seen horrors... horrors that you've seen. But you have no right to call me a murderer. You have a right to kill me. You have a right to do that... but you have no right to judge me. It's impossible for words to describe what is necessary to those who do not know what horror means. Horror... Horror has a face... and you must make a friend of horror. Horror and moral terror are your friends. If they are not, then they are enemies to be feared. They are truly enemies! I remember when I was with Special Forces... seems a thousand centuries ago. We went into a camp to inoculate some children. We left the camp after we had inoculated the children for polio, and this old man came running after us and he was crying. He couldn't see. We went back there, and they had come and hacked off every inoculated arm. There they were in a pile. A pile of little arms. And I remember... I... I... I cried, I wept like some grandmother. I wanted to tear my teeth out; I didn't know what I wanted to do! And I want to remember it. I never want to forget it... I never want to forget. And then I realized... like I was shot... like I was shot with a diamond... a diamond bullet right through my forehead. And I thought, my God... the genius of that! The genius! The will to do that! Perfect, genuine, complete, crystalline, pure. And then I realized they were stronger than we, because they could stand that these were not monsters, these were men... trained cadres. These men who fought with their hearts, who had families, who had children, who were filled with love... but they had the strength... the strength... to do that. If I had ten divisions of those men, our troubles here would be over very quickly. You have to have men who are moral... and at the same time who are able to utilize their primordial instincts to kill without feeling... without passion... without judgment... without judgment! Because it's judgment that defeats us.

Rating

9.0/10

American Sniper (2014)

Genre

Biography | Drama | War

Director

Clint Eastwood

Country

United States

Cast

Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Max Charles, Luke Grimes, Kyle Gallner, Sam Jaeger, Jake McDorman, Cory Hardrict, Navid Negahban, Eric Close, Eric Ladin, Joel Lambert, Rey Gallegos, Kevin Lacz, Brian Hallisay, Jonathan Groff, Ben Reed, Billy Miller, Elise Robertson, Keir O'Donnell, Marnette Patterson, Jason Hall, Leonard Roberts, Sammy Sheik

Plot

Growing up in Texas, Chris Kyle's father (Ben Reed) teaches him how to hunt deer and shoot a rifle. Years later, Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) is nothing more than a rodeo cowboy, when he sees news coverage of the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings and enlists in the U.S. Navy, where he is eventually accepted for SEAL training, becoming a U.S. Navy SEAL sniper.

After marrying, Kyle and the other members of the team are called for their first tour of Iraq. Kyle's struggle isn't with his missions, but about his relationship with the reality of the war and, once returned at home, how he manages to handle it with his urban life, his wife and kids.

Opinion

American Sniper is a story about war, death, violence, fear, hope and love; and it well describes the moral dilemma that undergoes a sniper in war, and how it does affect a man spending 3 years of his life so. 

While Clint Eastwood, once again, proved to be a major director - the reason why he wasn't nominated as best director is a mystery -, the real story of Chris Kyle is far more complex than shown in the film; because Chris Kyle didn't solve all his problems in a session with a psychiatrist; and he wasn't only scared of sudden noises: while sleeping one night, Kyle almost broke his wife's arm; not to mention his alcohol problems and his several arrests - full story at The New Yorker.

Kyle killing Mustafa is the best scene, photography talking: I loved the way the scene was edited.
Multiple Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper wonderfully portraits Chris Kyle. 

Quotes

Taya: You're my husband, you're the father of my children. Even when you're here, you're not here. I see you, I feel you, but you're not here.

Taya: I need you... to be human again. I need you here.

Rating

9.0/10