Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11376 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-09-24
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 89 minutes

Synopsis
Set during one of the Second World War's most shocking and unforgettable battles - the battle of Hurtgen Forest in the Autumn of 1944. American forces are under orders to secure a bridge flanked by enemy tanks. Men already trapped in a hellish minefield face death from all sides as shells rain down from the sky. Hundreds of lives have been lost, and the surviving troops are bloodied and shell-shocked. There are only four renegade soldiers remaining, who all have one thing in common: a desperate will to stay alive.

Customer Reviews

A good anti-war movie about a "forgotten battle"
Set in the fall of 1944 and the battle between American infantry forces and German defenders at Hurtgen Forest. It is the longest single battle the U.S. Army has ever fought in its history and casualities were around 60.000 US soldiers. The battle was know for its brutality, probably more so since the battle lines hardly moved, similar to WW1 trench warfare. For all its brutality and sacrifice the Battle Of Hurtgen Forest has long been considered a forgotten battle, with the attention going to Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge, probably because there is no glory in a stalemate.

The story itself is fiction and follows pvt Manning, the sole survivor of his group as he must lead new recruits into the meat grinder and is promoted against his wishes. Many of his comrades consider him to be flawed and question why he is alive when everyone else is dead. The new recruits must learn fast or die. So even if the story is fiction it tries to capture the spirit of the battle and its message is War is Hell.

War movie buffs will like it, attention is given to detail and even though it is a television production there are a lot of extras making the scenes convincing. Special mention should go to Martin Donovan as Capt. Roy Pritchett, pvt Mannings Company Commander. An intelligent man who sees the futility of the battle but must soldier on and push his men into the meat grinder while he wants nothing more than to keep them alive. A very strong preformance.

The script is well written and has connections to older war movies that some may spot and the story progresses well.

I enjoyed it and thought it was good and it has a worthy place in my collection.

Authentic battle scenes
A good post Pvt Ryan experience, where the battle scenes capture much of the intensity, as well as showing the general disaffection of the troops. You will also get to see (albeit fleetingly) authentic German AFVs, of the type likely to be found at that time. Definitely watchable.

Not so much brotherly love going on here
Band of Brothers raised the bar for the genre, but this is a very solid, short war movie concentrating on an attempt to capture a bridge at Hurtgen Forest. Ron Eldard leads a squad very much against his wishes, showing a different picture to the brotherhood portrayed in BoB. His motivations are purely personal, colouring his leadership and courage. This is a low budget effort from '98, and the dialogue is stilted, but the action is intense and brutal, displaying the chaos and fear to great effect. Worth a look for sure, but don't expect the glitz of Hollywood.