Originally published Feb. 21, 2002
Most directors normally stick with the genre that is most successful for them. Action directors stick with action, comedy directors stick with comedy, and so on.
However, there are a few exceptions and they are usually what show a great director. Steven Spielberg directed E.T. and the Indiana Jones movies, but also directed Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan. Robert Zemeckis made Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and the Back to the Future trilogy, but was also responsible for Forrest Gump and Cast Away.
Gregory Hoblit isn’t as well known as Spielberg or Zemeckis but also directs movies of different genres that are well known. He directed the Richard Gere drama Primal Fear and the Denzel Washington thriller Fallen. He also directed one of the best (but overlooked) movies of 2000 - Frequency, with Dennis Quaid.
Hoblit’s newest film, Hart’s War, opened last Friday and continues to show his range. The movie stars Colin Farrell as Lt. Thomas Hart, an American stationed behind a desk in Germany during World War II. Hart’s father is a senator, so he is ensured a place in the war that will keep him safe but look good on his record. He is told to drive a soldier back to his station, which ends up getting the soldier killed and Hart thrown into a German prisoner-of-war camp.
While there, Hart meets Col. William McNamara (Bruce Willis), the ranking officer in the camp. Things go as well as they can in a POW camp until the arrival of two black pilots, Lt. Lamar Archer and Lt. Lincoln Scott (Terrence Howard). Due to the time period, they do not receive a warm welcome.
A chain of events leads to the deaths of two soldiers. Scott is put on trial for a murder he didn’t commit. The court-marshal in the POW camp isn’t real, but the Nazi officer in charge thinks it will be fun. Col. McNamara, in charge of the trial, appoints Hart as Scott’s counsel because he’s had two years of law school.
As the trial begins, Hart discovers that the proceedings are hardly fair. Witnesses lie about what they saw and McNamara seems one-sided in his rulings. As the movie unfolds, Hart discovers things are most definitely not what they appear to be.
With Hart’s War, Hoblit is ambitious with the story he tries to project. He has good story material (a novel by John Katzenbach) and an excellent cast to work with. Farrell, though fairly new, proves that he is on his way to a promising career. Willis can always be counted on to deliver a great performance and this film is no exception. However the movie’s previews are misleading. Audiences may be surprised to find that he isn’t the main character.
The other actors give good performances as well but the standout is Howard. He takes the role of Lt. Scott, a potential stereotype, and makes him a character with true depth. One example is the emotional speech he delivers during the trial. The cinematography was also well done. It paints the film in the right amount of desolate dark tones. Even the daylight seems dreary.
The only problem with Hart’s War is the fact that it tries to be too many types of films in too little time. In just over two hours it manages to be a war movie, a POW movie, a courtroom drama, and a racial injustice story. Adding 30 minutes to the running time wouldn’t have hurt at all, especially the voice-over ending. By showing the audience what the voice-over simply tells, the ending of the film could be more optimistic and uplifting. However, this is just a small complaint; Hart’s War is a great film by an underrated director.
Hart’s War is Rated R for strong war violence and language.
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| Courtesy of MGM |
However, there are a few exceptions and they are usually what show a great director. Steven Spielberg directed E.T. and the Indiana Jones movies, but also directed Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan. Robert Zemeckis made Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and the Back to the Future trilogy, but was also responsible for Forrest Gump and Cast Away.
Gregory Hoblit isn’t as well known as Spielberg or Zemeckis but also directs movies of different genres that are well known. He directed the Richard Gere drama Primal Fear and the Denzel Washington thriller Fallen. He also directed one of the best (but overlooked) movies of 2000 - Frequency, with Dennis Quaid.
Hoblit’s newest film, Hart’s War, opened last Friday and continues to show his range. The movie stars Colin Farrell as Lt. Thomas Hart, an American stationed behind a desk in Germany during World War II. Hart’s father is a senator, so he is ensured a place in the war that will keep him safe but look good on his record. He is told to drive a soldier back to his station, which ends up getting the soldier killed and Hart thrown into a German prisoner-of-war camp.
While there, Hart meets Col. William McNamara (Bruce Willis), the ranking officer in the camp. Things go as well as they can in a POW camp until the arrival of two black pilots, Lt. Lamar Archer and Lt. Lincoln Scott (Terrence Howard). Due to the time period, they do not receive a warm welcome.
A chain of events leads to the deaths of two soldiers. Scott is put on trial for a murder he didn’t commit. The court-marshal in the POW camp isn’t real, but the Nazi officer in charge thinks it will be fun. Col. McNamara, in charge of the trial, appoints Hart as Scott’s counsel because he’s had two years of law school.
As the trial begins, Hart discovers that the proceedings are hardly fair. Witnesses lie about what they saw and McNamara seems one-sided in his rulings. As the movie unfolds, Hart discovers things are most definitely not what they appear to be.
With Hart’s War, Hoblit is ambitious with the story he tries to project. He has good story material (a novel by John Katzenbach) and an excellent cast to work with. Farrell, though fairly new, proves that he is on his way to a promising career. Willis can always be counted on to deliver a great performance and this film is no exception. However the movie’s previews are misleading. Audiences may be surprised to find that he isn’t the main character.
The other actors give good performances as well but the standout is Howard. He takes the role of Lt. Scott, a potential stereotype, and makes him a character with true depth. One example is the emotional speech he delivers during the trial. The cinematography was also well done. It paints the film in the right amount of desolate dark tones. Even the daylight seems dreary.
The only problem with Hart’s War is the fact that it tries to be too many types of films in too little time. In just over two hours it manages to be a war movie, a POW movie, a courtroom drama, and a racial injustice story. Adding 30 minutes to the running time wouldn’t have hurt at all, especially the voice-over ending. By showing the audience what the voice-over simply tells, the ending of the film could be more optimistic and uplifting. However, this is just a small complaint; Hart’s War is a great film by an underrated director.
Hart’s War is Rated R for strong war violence and language.
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