Gregory Hoblit's "Hart's War"

Review by Dennis D. McDonald

Colin Farrell plays a young lieutenant who is captured by the Germans during WWII, cracks during interrogation, and is sent to a German prisoner of war camp in Augsburg Germany. Bruce Willis plays the colonel in charge of Allied prisoners. Farrell's character is dumped in with the enlisted men (Willis knows he cracked during interrogation) and is soon joined by two black American pilots. Although officers, they also are put in with the enlisted men and the scene is set for skullduggery, racist arguments, murder, and a courtroom drama.

As farfetched as this all sounds, it works very well. The production is extremely realistic, the few action scenes are explosive, and the grimness of prison camp in wintertime is accurately portrayed. Even the "courtroom" scenes work well as we are forced to witness behavior that we know is shamefull yet is also probably based on some type of historical fact. It is also sobering to see how the "Tuskegee Airmen" were treated when they were away from their planes, and this by itself is probably one of the most valuable historical aspects of this movie.

Postscript: I rather enjoy Bruce Willis and it is interesting to see how he has moved on to more meaty and serious roles. I just wish he didn't have to wear wigs like the one he wears here. People are used to his "bald" look and it's jarring to see him with a full head of hair.