Review of How I Won the War (1967) by Ken S — 06 Jan 2017

Richard Lester's anti-war comedy is kind of shaky and doesn't hold up well...but Lester's most brilliant move seems to have been casting Beatle John Lennon in the film...probably the main reason it is still even sought after at all.

I do think the idea of showing archived footage of a battle tinted a color while a member of the troop dies, and having a sort of ghostly figure represent each dead member of the troop colored the same tint as the battle is a great visual idea, but the execution was somewhat sloppy and it doesn't entirely work.

And while there are some mildly humorous parts early on...the film isn't all that funny, and it's stark comment on war isn't as poignant or as strong as it probably should be. The movie tries, isn't totally worthless, but really the main reason to watch it (and the reason I have seen it a couple of times) is that you get to see John Lennon acting (and he is a rather decent actor for the part).

Otherwise...not the best anti-war film of that era or any other.