Even as the story strains to accommodate a few implausible, last-second theatrics, it manages to sustain a tense, sober atmosphere.
Hart's War (2002)
Tomatometer
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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
Reviews for Hart's War
Unlike A Soldier's Story, which tackled the same theme within the confines of an engrossing, unpredictable story, too much of Hart's War feels like finger-wagging.
For maximum enjoyment, the viewer should be as clueless as to what is really going on as poor Hart.
Hart's War seems to want to be a character study, but apparently can't quite decide which character.
Teetering toward preaching, the film says much about courage, honor, duty and sacrifice, traits common enough in many World War II stories.
Hart's War, in trying to please everyone, delivers a doubly exasperating blend of liberal and conservative pandering, both a self-congratulatory acknowledgment of historical racism and an affirmation that American patriotism excuses all sins.
Gripping on impact, it provides plenty of material for long thoughts.
It's a pleasure to finally see a film directed by Gregory Hoblit that really reflects the multiplane storytelling expertise he developed working on such television series as Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law and NYPD Blue.
...a run-of-the-mill courtroom drama that John Grisham could have tossed off between endorsing royalty checks.
The movie worked for me right up to the final scene, and then it caved in.
Delivers on all fronts, with a cunning script, great acting, and subtle directing.
If you're looking to go rah-rah America, these flawed characters won't convince you to put that plastic flag back on your car. Still, this film has some surprising heart.
[A]fter a pretty decent first hour, Hart's War becomes increasingly ludicrous, culminating with a cornball finale that will either leave you scratching your head or shaking it in disgust.
Opens as promising as any war/adventure film you’ll ever see and dissolves into a routine courtroom drama, better suited for a movie titled “Glory: A Soldier’s Story.”
So predictably sanctimonious it feels like it’s been sitting on the shelf since the 1950’s, when big-name, naively feel-good message movies were a dime a dozen.
The WWII drama is well plotted, visually striking and filled with enjoyably complex characters who are never what they first appear.
[S]olid, old-fashioned entertainment in which everything is much larger than life and the plot elements slide into place with clockwork precision.
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