Review of Anzio (1968) by Tracey C — 07 Feb 2011

"Anzio" is an action packed war movie which balances the action with just the right amount of "pre-game war talk", character study, and plot development. What this means in layman's terms is, you get your money's worth.

You'll be excited, with never a dull moment, while being interested in what the characters have to say at the same time. This also means you care about the characters, one way or another. "Anzio" might be best understood as having three dimensions in the story line.

First, it's an all out blood bath series of shootings, with an extremely riveting fight against snipers in the end. Second, it's the story of military strategy, which is supplied by Robert Ryan, Arthur Kennedy, and Arthur Franz, among others, doing the "high ranking officers making decisions" bit.

Third, and most importantly, it's the story of why men have wars. The war correspondent who links these all together is played by Robert Mitchum. His character is one of the most well defined characters ever written in a war movie.

The third dimension really grips the story, with Peter Falk playing a veteran ranger who is famous for his exploits in the unit, a man who seems to enjoy the killing, but has a softer side, too. His character may be the second best defined character of war movies (if you omit "Jungle Fighters".

) The final shootout is an emotionally gripping sniper attack that leaves you on the edge of your seat. Possibly the best filmwork for any war movie ever done, and it would be the best film editing, too, if not for one glitch in which the sniper attack comes from out of the blue in sequence.

But that may be just what the director intended. It is effective, but leaves you wondering "Where am I"? more than anything else. And these troopers know where they are. The music really doesn't suit the subject matter, even in contrast.

It's like one of the early MTV videos. Music and video don't match. Just ignore the music and enjoy the show.