Cast: Bruce Willis, Colin Farrell, Terrence Dashon Howard, Vicellous Reon Shannon, Cole Hauser, Rory Cochrane, Linus Roache, Marcel Iures
Director: Gregory Hoblit
Producers: David Foster, Gregory Hoblit, David Ladd, Arnold Rifkin
Screenplay: Billy Ray and Terry George
Cinematography: Alar Kivilo
Music: Rachael Portman
U.S. Distributor: MGM
In some ways, Hart's War appears like just another WW2 prisoner of war movie - a genre that has given us classics like The Great Escape and Stalag 17 (not to mention "Hogan's Heroes"). But there's more to Gregory Hoblit's film than initially meets the eye. In addition to dealing with the ins-and-outs of surviving in a Nazi prison camp during the latter months of the war, the film confronts racism in the armed forces in a manner that, while not subtle, avoids seeming smothered in political correctness. Plus, as one would expect from a film that exists in this setting, it examines issues of honor and courage, and shows that there are many flavors of both.
It's December 1944 in Belgium and Lieutenant Tommy Hart (Colin Farrell), by virtue of his privileged upbringing (he's the son of a Senator), is far away from the fighting. When a routine chauffeur mission takes him into an unexpected German ambush, he ends up being tortured by the Nazis until he gives up the location of a fuel dump. After that, he is shipped to Stalag VIA, where the U.S. prisoners of war are led by Colonel William McNamara (Bruce Willis), under the watchful eye of SS Major Wilhelm Visser (Marcel Iures). McNamara is initially suspicious of Hart, rightfully assuming that he cracked under torture, and assigns him to bunk with the enlisted men rather than the officers. Hart isn't alone there for long, however - when two black officers, Lt. Lincoln Scott (Terrence Dashon Howard) and Lamar Archer (Vicellous Reon Shannon), arrive, they are also assigned to sleep with the grunts. The current of racism in the barracks is unmistakable, with one man in particular, Bedford (Cole Hauser), expressing his outrage and hatred in unmistakable terms. Shortly after setting up Archer for having a concealed weapon in his bunk, Bedford is found murdered with Scott standing over his body. McNamara requests that Visser allow the Americans to hold a court martial hearing. Visser, amused by the idea, agrees, and Hart is given the unenviable task of being Scott's lawyer, even though he has not finished law school.
The film is less of a traditional war story than it is one man's quest for redemption. Since giving in to Nazi torture, Tommy Hart has been attempting to find the courage and opportunity to regain his honor. By defending Scott, a man he believes to be innocent, he is given this chance - even though Scott's fate seems sealed. As portrayed by Colin Farrell (recently seen as Jesse James in American Outlaws), Hart is a timid individual who is learning to stand up for himself.
Hart's War contains elements of a courtroom drama, but without the surprise revelations and attorney grandstanding we have come to expect. Things are presented in a straightforward manner, and it becomes clear that Scott's fate may be pre-ordained. However, Hart eventually uncovers something that twists the meaning of the outcome and forces him to make a decision. This is an impressive piece of plotting that gives the movie a layer it might not have otherwise have possessed.
Racism is addressed head-on. Even the more moderate enlisted men don't like being bunked with Scott and Archer, and Hoblit goes to some lengths to illustrate the difficulties that black men would have faced in this situation. Despite being an officer, Scott is essentially powerless. Whereas the white men in Stalag VIA have a clear enemy and goal, Scott's relationship with the men who are supposedly on his side is adversarial, resulting in isolation. Nevertheless, Hoblit's approach to this issue is decidedly non-manipulative. He lets actions and circumstances speak for themselves, rather than force-feeding us like George Tillman Jr. did with Men of Honor.
At the top of the prisoners' pecking order is Col. William McNamara. Bruce Willis, in a fine, understated turn, portrays McNamara as an honorable man with several glaring flaws. In many ways, he's almost Shakespearean. McNamara clearly has no particular use for Scott (much as he has no use for Hart), but there may be more than pure racism at work here. Some of the most intriguing scenes are those between Willis and Marcel Iures, who plays the SS commander of the Stalag. There's a sense of mutual respect between these men, and one senses that Visser would like to take up McNamara's suggestion that the two of them fight a duel for control of the camp.
Hart's War works uncommonly well because of the effective manner in which it blends together its various elements: the WW2 prison camp setting, the courtroom aspects, and the issues of honor, racism, and redemption. This is one of those war movies that focuses on human interaction rather than battle and action sequences (there are a few of those, but not many), and it's all the stronger because of it. In terms of presenting a story that is both intelligent and involving, Hart's War is considerably better than the average fare movie-goers are subjected to during the month of February.
© 2002 James Berardinelli