RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Hart's War
Hart's War

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Hart's War (2002)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
58 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:116

Fresh:67

Rotten:49

Average Rating:5.9/10

Consensus: Well-made and solidly acted, Hart's War is modestly compelling. However, the movie suffers from having too many subplots.

Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Director Gregory Hoblit's debut feature was the tricky courtroom drama PRIMAL FEAR. With his fourth feature, HART'S WAR, Hoblit is back with another. This time the court is inside a WWII... Director Gregory Hoblit's debut feature was the tricky courtroom drama PRIMAL FEAR. With his fourth feature, HART'S WAR, Hoblit is back with another. This time the court is inside a WWII prisoner-of-war camp. The defendant is Lieutenant Lincoln Scott (Terrence Howard), a black officer accused of killing a racist sergeant (Cole Hauser). Scott's lawyer is Lieutenant Tommy Hart (Colin Farrell), a second-year law student at Yale. A U.S. senator's son, Hart was having a relatively easy war until he was captured, interrogated, and sent to Stalag VI. The camp commandant is the urbane, charming, and ruthless SS Major Visser (compellingly played by Rumanian actor Marcel Iures). The ranking American officer at the camp is Colonel William McNamara (Bruce Willis), and Hart is soon in conflict with him. When Scott is accused of murder, McNamara insists that the prisoners should hold a court martial, and he appoints Hart counsel for the defense. At the court martial, Hart finds his client is being railroaded, although he gets help from unexpected quarters. Intricately plotted by scriptwriters Billy Ray and Terry George, and filmed by Hoblit with his accustomed attention to detail, HART'S WAR is a devious and absorbing courtroom/POW drama. [More]

Starring: Bruce Willis, Colin Farrell, Terrence Howard, Vicellous Shannon

Starring: Bruce Willis, Colin Farrell, Terrence Howard, Vicellous Shannon, Jonathan Brandis, Scott Michael Campbell, Rory Cochrane, Cole Hauser, Michael Landes, Michael Weston, Sam Worthington, Marcel Iures, Linus Roache

Director: Gregory Hoblit

Director: Gregory Hoblit
Screenwriter: Terry George, Billy Ray
Producer: Wolfgang Glattes, David Ladd, David Foster
Composer: Rachel Portman
Studio: MGM/UA

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Hart's War

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Farrell ... thankfully manages to outshine the role and successfully plays the foil to Willis's world-weary colonel.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/15/02
Laura Bushell
Laura Bushell
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A serious and absorbing drama with the old-fashioned notion of telling a story and taking the necessary time to do so.

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
05/28/02
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/30/02
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
08/12/02
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
12/15/03
Sarah Dunant
Sarah Dunant
This is London
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
12/15/03
Lynne Truss
Lynne Truss
Daily Mail [UK]
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
06/01/02
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: FilmFour.com | comment Comment
05/28/02
FilmFour.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

While the stoically delivered hokum of Hart's War is never fun, it's still a worthy addition to the growing canon of post-Saving Private Ryan tributes to the greatest generation.

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
02/16/02
Jason Anderson
Jason Anderson
eye WEEKLY

War may be hell, but Hart’s War is more like chess.

Full Review Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel | comment Comment
02/14/02
Todd Anthony
Todd Anthony
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

powerfully "captivating" first twenty minutes, but from there, meanders, searches under barrack bunks and into hollowed-out trim wood for a unified direction.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
02/14/02
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

The WWII drama is well plotted, visually striking and filled with enjoyably complex characters who are never what they first appear.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
02/14/02
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

A study in shades of gray, offering itself up in subtle plot maneuvers...

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
02/13/02
Jeanne Aufmuth
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

The movie itself is far from disappointing, offering an original take on courtroom movies, a few nifty twists that are so crucial to the genre and another first-rate performance by top-billed star Bruce Willis.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
02/15/02
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

It's hard to know whether or not to recommend this film because for every thing it does right there's at least one and occasionally two things it gets ever so wrong.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Chris Barsanti
Chris Barsanti
Film Threat

This is one of those war movies that focuses on human interaction rather than battle and action sequences ... and it's all the stronger because of it.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
02/12/02
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

...breathes surprising new life into the familiar by amalgamating genres and adding true human complexity to its not-so-stock characters.

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
02/13/02
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

A solid film...but more conscientious than it is truly stirring.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
02/14/02
Tom Block
Tom Block
culturevulture.net
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
all

Latest News for Hart's War

July 24, 2007: Tom Cruise Aims to Get Salty for His Next Role
He's already got Bryan Singer's "Valkyrie" and Robert Redford's "Lions for Lambs" on the way, but the United Artists head honcho seems to have a new gig lined up, too. More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
25% 25% Four Christmases
68% 68% Funny People
95% 95% Star Trek
14% 14% The Ugly Truth

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
32% 32% Terminator Salvation
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
86% 86% A Christmas Tale
60% 60% Paper Heart

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Spielberg Hops Away from Harvey Source: Variety
21
  • Tarantino Could Have Directed Green Lantern Source: MTV
24
  • Will Duvall be Gilliam's Don Quixote? Source: Collider.com
26
  • No Hobbit Until 2012? Source: The Wrap
22
  • Don't Hold Your Breath for Hancock 2 Source: HitFix
42
  • Peter Berg Talks Battleship Source: CHUD
2
  • Summit Ponders Twilight Finale Source: Variety
159
  • First Look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Source: USA Today
56
  • Jeremy Renner Talks Hawkeye Possibilities Source: Superhero Hype
14
  • Todd Phillips Talks The Hangover 2 Source: Entertainment Weekly
18
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
76
  • Five Favorite Films with Jason Reitman
51
  • Critics Consensus: Everybody's Fine Is Just OK
49
  • 10 Horrifically Profitable Films
46
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Vampires and Football Break Thanksgiving Records
43
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
40
  • Sundance 2010: RT's 10 Most Anticipated Movies
38
  • Weekly Ketchup: Tron Team to Remake The Black Hole
33
  • Awards Tour: National Board of Review Winners List!
26
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
22
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
22
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Hart's War at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Hart's War at IGN
  • Hart's War at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.