Review of Hart`s War

Introduction

Fresh out of law school and protected by his father, a Senator, Lt. Thomas W. Hart (Colin Farrell) is a young man unprepared for the horrors of war. When he gets captured he`s forced to grow up very quickly and come to terms with who he is.

At a German POW camp he meets Col. William A. McNamara (Bruce Willis), a seasoned war veteran and the highest ranked prisoner. The brutal execution of a coloured airman sets up a confrontation between Hart and McNamara that addresses issues of race, justice and honour.

Set in the final months of World War II Hart`s War is best described as a Prisnoner Of War movie but is also so much more.

Video

The anamorphic picture is detailed and sharp at all times. The subject matter doesn`t exactly command a colourful picture rather the film has an authentic look that fits the period and mood of the film perfectly.

A very good transfer, no complaints at all.

Audio

Accompanying the great picture is a solid Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. The movie relies heavily on dialogue however when called for the soundtrack does a good job of adding background sounds to create a more immersive experience.

The score is suitably emotional and moving, again fitting the subject matter perfectly.

Features

The disc comes with a nice selection of extras with10 deleted scenes (with commentary form the Director), theatrical trailer, photo gallery and 2 audio commentaries - one featuring Bruce Willis, Director Gregory Hoblit and Writer Billy Ray with the other one featuring Producer David Foster.

I enjoyed the deleted scenes but was really interested to hear the audio commentary featuring Bruce Willis. It`s very interesting and insightful however something seemed not quite right, it was almost as if Bruce Willis was not in the same room and interacting with the Director and the Writer when this was recorded. I could be totally wrong here and if I am I apologise but his fleeting and suspected pre-recorded involvement left me feeling a little cheated. Then again I`m probably far to demanding.

That said though I think the extras show some thought and interest, adding to the movie.

Conclusion

I can always tell if I`m getting a little bored of a movie because I`ll often glance at the running time to see how long is left. Coming in at a little 2 hours I found the whole experience exciting, involving and moving. Not once did I ever stop to think how long was left. In fact I had to check the running time afterwards just to be sure that I`d been sitting down for 2 hours.

The interest level is kept high throughout the movie with an engaging and somewhat unique plot. It`s beautifully paced and builds up to a moving and dramatic climax. Trust me when I say it`s best viewed with little or no prior knowledge.

The acting is great. Colin Farrell (Minority Report) takes the staring role and thrives in the spotlight. He`s very convincing as the Senators son who receives a rude awakening to the horrors of war. I also thought Marcel Iures did an excellent job as camp commandant, Col. Werner Visser.

The big name of the movie is of course Bruce Willis. He gets allot of criticism form people for his acting but I`ve never once understood any of it. He never overplays his roles and I suppose people aren`t happy unless he`s running around a skyscraper in a white t-shirt killing terrorists. I think he`s great in this movie as the POW`s commanding officer, Col. William A. McNamara.

So overall a great movie and a great DVD. Highly recommended.