The kids in these three clips for I Declare War take Capture the Flag very, very seriously

By Jesse Giroux

Posted 12 years ago

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Remember running around as a kid with a stick in your hand pretending it was a machine gun? Or throwing a rock like it was a grenade? I DECLARE WAR takes the innocent children's game Capture the Flag and turns it into a realistic, intense battle between youths. The violence in the film is make-believe, but the drama and conflict between the children is definitely real. It feels kind of like a kid's movie from the 80s, like THE GOONIES or STAND BY ME, and it also reminds me of the 2007 British film SON OF RAMBOW.

Whenever there's children participating in a bit of the ultra violence in a movie people tend to get a little pissy, but obviously a film like this is more about what it's like to be a child and how serious a kid's "game" can get when you're young. Probably part of the reason why I DECLARE WAR hasn't had the much exposure is because it does have kids wielding crossbows, shotguns and all kinds of other weapons. But for me, it's just a film (and from what I've heard an outstanding one at that) that does a great job of reminding us what it's like to be a kid. Check out the three clips and the synopsis for I DECLARE WAR below:

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I Declare War – Artillery by teasertrailer

I Declare War – If anyone comes, shoot and kill by teasertrailer

I Declare War – A girl and her crossbow by teasertrailer

Armed with nothing more than twigs, their imaginations and a simple set of rules, a group of 12-year-olds engaged in a lively game of Capture the Flag in the neighborhood woods start dangerously blurring the lines between make-believe and reality. Rocks = Grenades. Trees = Control towers. Sticks = Submachine guns. The youthful innocence of the game gradually takes on a different tone as the quest for victory pushes the boundaries of friendship. The would-be warriors get a searing glimpse of humanity’s dark side as their combat scenario takes them beyond the rules of the game and into an adventure where fantasy combat clashes with the real world.

I DECLARE WAR is currently available on VOD, but it will also be in select theaters starting August 30th, 2013.

Source: Daily Motion

Tags: Action, Alex Cardillo, Gage Munroe, I Declare War, Jason Lapeyre, Robert Wilson

About the Author

Jesse Giroux

2,709 Articles Published

Favorite Movies: American Beauty/Psycho/Splendor/History X, 12 Monkeys, Schindler's List, About Schmidt, Fargo, Blazing read more Saddles, Bringing Out the Dead, Rushmore, Dark City, The Dark Knight, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Funny Games, God Bless America, High Fidelity, Igby Goes Down, L.A. Confidential, Leon, Magnolia, Memento, Shaun of the Dead, Se7en, Reservoir Dogs, Adaptation, There Will be Blood, Happiness, I Heart Huckabees, Grosse Pointe Blank, Frailty, The Vengeance Trilogy, In Bruges, Sunshine, Scanners, Team America, City of God, Four Lions, Requiem for a Dream, The Blues Brothers, The Road, Tae Gook Gi, Children of Men

Likes: Hunter S. Thompson, comics, Doonesbury, anything involving Graham Linehan and Charlie read more Brooker, people having nightmares after I've made them watch Jam, Beck, David Grohl, hard ciders, PT Anderson, Stephen King, Dylan Moran, Big Fat Quiz of the Year, cupcakes, The Boondocks, Andy Kaufman, Bill Murray

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