Review of Cross of Iron (1977) by Tim S — 28 Apr 2009
Peckinpah is a nut. The thing about him is that he can orchestrate one hell of an action sequence. The war sequences in this film are fantastic and some of the most realistic I have seen in recent memory.
The brutality of war and what it does not only to the body, but also to the mind are explored really well here. James Coburn gives a great performance, but there are moments that are a little over the top even for a war movie.
I understand the controversy of it considering it is told from the point of view of the Nazi's and I am surprised this film hasn't been locked in a vault somewhere in this day and age, but it's a pretty straight forward war movie all the same.
There are some strange moments that took me out of the film and I really didn't understand them (the ending is just plain weird). At the end of the day, the cast and the war scenes really save this movie because otherwise it's all over the place.
Another Sam Peckinpah trademark.
This review of Cross of Iron (1977) was written by Tim S on 28 Apr 2009.
Cross of Iron has generally received positive reviews.
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