Reviews: Hart's War

[JoBlo]

JoBlo's 7/10 review of HART'S WAR can be found here: http://www.joblo.com/hartswar.htm

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[Strider]

Hart's War (2002)

Rated R for Some Strong War Violence & Language

Director:Gregory Hoblit

Starring Bruce Willis, Colin Farrell, Terrance Dasher Howard, & Cole Hauser.

http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Ss/0251114/H-2.jpg

The film's plot focuses on Colonel William McNamara(Bruce Willis)who is a prisoner of war along with his troops by the Nazis. Eventually, an officer, Lincoln Scott(Terrance Dasher Howard)is framed for killing another man. Scott then gets a trial, and his lawyer is man by the name of Tommy Hart(Colin Farrell), who just happens to be a Lieutenant. Colonel McNamara has other things in mind, and plans to use this trial for his own purposes.

Well, first off, the acting was pretty damn good! Bruce Willis delivered a solid performance. In my opinion, I think he's a great actor, and has been picking some very good roles lately. Also, I was very impressed by Colin Farrell. He's a good actor, and I look forward to his next projects.

You know, while watching this film, I was thinking I had seen a movie like this before, just a little different, and I have. So what I'm trying to say is, this flick wasn't very original in my eyes. Next, the film surprisingly didn't make any sense on some occasions.

While not being a great war film by any means, Hart's War showed me a good time, and entertained. So, if you want to kill a couple of hours watching a pretty decent flick, then Hart's War is my recommendation.

Running Time:2 hours 1 minute

Grade:7.5/10

Strider

[sleekproductions]

...

[dannywalker17]

HART'S WAR
Directed by Gregory Hoblit
Starring Colin Farrell, Bruce Willis, and Terence Howard
Rating: 8/10
After seeing two films this weekend, I was more impressed with this one. Friday night I saw John Q., which I liked okay(6.5/10), but Saturday night I saw this film and I liked it alot.
Yes the trailer was decieving, but I've been known to like films where people were expecting something a little different (i.e. Pearl Harbor). Bruce Willis' character is not the character which the film centers around, but it is still a very important part and I was impressed with his performance. Colin Farrell was also excellent. The first time I saw him was in American Outlaws and this is definetely a step up for him. Terrance Howard was also good as Lt. Scott and the guy that played the German colonel was good.
This movie deals with the themes of racism, courage, honor, deception, and feeling trapped physically and emotionally and these aspects are weaved into an intriguing plot. This movie had me on the edge of my seat at times and I really liked the conclusion.
This is not an action/war movie but more of a war drama. The film has some good visuals, especially at the beginning, and the story with its twists and transitions flows well. There are a few things that seemed unlikely, such as the leniency towards the American soldiers, but they were still strict in many ways and you have to keep in mind the German colonel and his views. Overall, this is an excellent movie and the best movie so far of 2002.

[dicaprio_travolta_man]

Movie: Hart's War
Rating: R
Starring: Bruce Willis, Colin Farrel
http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Ss/0251114/H-1.jpg

STORY/MOVIE: This is a pretty good story for the most part. The movie itself kind of starts out looking like a movie adaption of the hit 1960's prisoner of war comedy Hogan's Heroes, but after it explains a few things and stuff starts to happen, and the characters are developed it gets much better and really interesting as we find out what's happening through a bunch of sugar coated twists. I really found myself interested as to how the courtroom battle would turn out and when I figured it out I was quite surprized but in a good way. It can be slow at times and entertaining at times but one thing this movie does lack in is the almost unbeliveable amount of support the germans have for the american POWs, but the fact that the film is interesting and entertaining helps me forget about the over the top respect towards POWs.

ACTING: All top notch. This is a movie that features two of the finest performances that I've seen in 3 years from Bruce Willis and Colin Farrel. Both actors give just the right amount of depth and charisma to bring their respected characters to life. I would also like to add that Willis and Farrel gave what I think are Oscar Worthy performances. Very emotional and very in-depth. Few last performances I thought were really good were given by the man who played the african-american who's under trial for murder, and from the man that played the German Colonel. Both guys were very beliveable and I could actually picture them as their respected characters. Made it seem so real.

DIRECTING: I love the directing of this film. IMO the director brought the story to life and really made me interact with what was happening. The photography is beautiful and the way he was able to make each character so in-depth and the story so interesting is something I don't think I'll forget.

FINAL THOUGHTS: It's a good movie but it does have a few dry spots, ones I won't forget. Other then that though the film is an interesting look at racism in the 1940's, and the courtroom scenes are really beliveable kind of like the ones in A Few Good Men. Don't miss it if you like courtroom dramas and don't miss it if you want to see one of Bruce Willis' finest performances.

FINAL GRADE: 8/10

[Puck Bond]

Hart's War 8/10...

Hart's War is a very interesting and entertaining war movie about POW's, but it's also about honor, courage, duty and ultimately sacrifice.. The performances are all great in this film especially Colin Farrell who really surprised me as Lietenant Hart, who is asked to defend a black air Force officer after a revenge murder in a WWII prison camp. Willis is always good, but here he is excellent as the highest ranking officer of the POW's. I loved how you wonder whether or not Willis is really a good dude or not. Also the German Commandent was very good and believable as a decent officer but there is always a menacing presence to him. Also Cole Hauser is good, eventhough he isn't in the film for very long. This film has references to other POW movies like The Great Escape, Stalag 17 and The Bridge on the River Kwai which are all great films and I also loved that about this film. I found it interesting that all or most of the action is in the first half of the film, with one of the coolest plane sequences I have ever seen. Overall hart's War is pure, solid entertainment unlike many war films but it is mostly about honor, courage, duty and sacrifice and is probably the best film I've seen so far this year.

[wmonahan]

Hart's War makes for an enjoyable afternoon at the movies. But consider reading the book. It is much more suspenseful and intriquing. The story line is more coherent and the characters (especially the ones the film forgot) were more believable.

[realspicylike]

The movie is perfect example of Hollywood's tendency to make things look pretty without any substance. This movie is amazing from a photography, art direction, acting, costumes, sets, etc. But the script, the script is where it falls short. Its just such a ridiculous idea. I cant imagine the Nazi's being as compassionate as they were portrayed in this movie. Thats all I thought about while watching this movie. Just "What the hell?". Dont get me wrong, i loved the movie. Just the story was too ridiculous to be believable. Bruce Willis did some of his best acting and collin farrell promises to be someone great. Maybe willis will finally get an oscar nom?

[ToasT]

When I stepped in the theater, I was expecting to see and action film about Americans escaping a POW camp. By the end of the film, I will never trust another trailer again. It was nothing like I expected it was actually good.
Bruce Willis did a good job. The script wasn't top-notch but okay. The only quarell i had with the movie is the ending special effects where the men disappear.
After they so called "faded", I could still see their "Predator" sillouettes. Meaning, they were only invisible but still in the same position.

[mrflix]

First I just need to address something. I was watching the coming attractions before "Hart's War" started and I saw previews for TWO more war movies that are coming out soon. I am officially burned out on this genre! On TV, it never fails that a popular show will get copied by every other station and then some to try and bring in the viewers. I hate it. I really do. I hate it even more when it happens in theatres. There was a long drought of war movies during most of the 90's and then "Saving Private Ryan" came out. It did great at the box office due mostly for it's casting of Tom Hanks in the lead role. For a year and half later there was an absence of war movies. I even thought to myself, "Damn, there really hasn't been many war movies out lately."

Then BOOM!

One after another of the same damn thing! Why is it that I haven't heard a bad review of a war movie lately? Hmmmm. Let's all think hard together. You know the conclusion. Sooner or later people are going to get fed up with this. I hope it's sooner rather than later.

Let's get to the review shall we?

"Hart's War" isn't a mold breaker nor is it a cliche war film either. Instead of adrenaline pumping action scenes we see more of a court room drama. The audience doesn't find out what the plot is until the midway point of movie which really bothered me. We had to endure an extremely slow, uninteresting start that had almost put me to sleep if I didn't think about cheesy nachos. After we learn what the hell is going on here it slowly gets interesting and I became more involved with this movie.

I wasn't expecting the racial lines to play a major role in this movie but it did. Those tones led into a courtroom battle between "legal justice" and America's best interests. I found myself disagreeing most of the time with Lt. Hart (Colin Farrell) witch was distracting me from the rest of the plot. It does make sense at the end though. The finale of this film packed some interesting twists to it although some scenarios were very predictable.

I'm a big Bruce Willis fan. I even liked "Hudson Hawk". I will also be the first to admit that Bruce Willis is an extremely mediocre actor. But he "looks the part" in everything he does. He does well for what he is cast for and I give props to the man for knowing his limits. I was happily surprised by the acting of Terrence Howard who played Lt. Lincoln Scott (the black pilot that was framed for murder). I hope to see more of him.

[Bronco]

RATING: *** (out of ****)

Hart's War is being advertised as a war film, but it's not really that. Yes, it does take place in a Nazi Concentration Camp during World War II, but this film doesn't deal with the war that's going on that much. There's a few action scenes, but not many. So, if you're looking for a war movie with lots of combat, check out Black Hawk Down, and not Hart's War. This is essentially a courtroom drama.

I've never been a big fan of courtroom dramas (most of them are tedious, or just plain boring), but Hart's War manages to be an involving, and at times, powerful experience. The movie deals with the issues of racism and how unfairly blacks were treated very well, partially in thanks to an overall good script, and some very good performances by Colin Farrell, Bruce Willis, and Terrence Howard.

Lieutenant Tommy Hart (Farrell) was a Harvard law student before enlisting to fight in the war. After being captured by the Nazis and tortured until he finally tells them where the location of a fuel dump is, he is sent to Stalog VIA, a Nazi concentration camp. There, he meets Lt. William McNamara (Willis), and he assigns him to bunk with the enlisted men, instead of the officers. Shortly after, two black men named Lt. Lincoln Scott (Terrence Dashon Howard) and Lamar Archer (Vicellous Reon Shannon) arrive, and are not especially welcomed. One man that really seems to hate them is a guy named Bedford (Cole Hauser). After getting Archer killed, Bedford himself is then murdered, and Scott is the prime suspect. So, Hart, believing that Scott is an innocent man, defends him in court.

Hart's War is a very involving experience, thanks to a very good performance by Farrell (I'm willing to forgive him for American Outlaws, where he played Jesse James). Tommy Hart is a very likable character, and we're rooting for him to win the case. Bruce Willis is also good as a general with a lot of honor, but is kind've a shady character. Terrence Howard is also good as the guy we just know who's innocent, but his chances of winning are slim-to-none.

While the movie is above average from what we would normally find this time of year, it does have its shortcomings. First of all, the film is a little bit too predictable, and there aren't that many suprises. Second, the ending was a little on the weak side, and it didn't leave me all that satisfied. But still, Hart's War is still a good way to waste two hours, and you shouldn't be too disappointed.