Review of Brother's War (2009) by Jim M — 02 Sep 2009

German-Polish Border, 1945: As the remnants of Hitler's Reich prepare for their final stand, Stalin's Red Army rolls steadly forward crushing all resistance. Already plans are being made for the post-war order, plans that will see Eastern Europe trade Nazi tyranny for a Communist one. A British attache to the Red Army witness' the murder of members of the Polish Government in Exile and is seized and imprisoned where he meets a German Capt. Discovering they are both Freemasons shortly after their escape the two join together, picking up a Polish nurse along the way, and make their way across Germany witnessing the brutal end of a tyrants dream, running from he encrouching Soviets, avoiding the Nazi SS determined to fight to the death, trying to reach the safety of the Allied Armies in the West and deliver their warning about the new threar rising in the East.

Decient, would have benifitted from a bigger budget. Acting isn't anything to right home about, directing is merely competent, the choiral score is nice but can be distracting, and everything looks to clean to convince one we're seeing the remnants of a country on the verge of defeat (usually no more then 30 miles from the front). Still it has it's moments, and well Nazi war crimes are well documented, the Soviets have gotten a free pass in the media, despite commetting a number of atrocities (against people we considered Allies at the time such as Poland), carved up Poland with Hitler (indeed shortly after the Nazi's invaded Poland from the West, Stalin invaded from the East), and subjugating Eastern Europe to 50 years of occupation and tyranny.The film also shows (at least partially) the Western Allies turning a blind eye to this (a whole movie could be done on the betrayals made in the name of peace). Not great, but it has it's moments. I'd recommend it for anyone interestedin World War II/Cold War.