Things are crazy down at the Cineplex.
You walk into a film with a confusing trailer and a lead actor that isn't known for much more than smirking and blowing stuff up, you have feelings of trepidation. You walk into something with a good concept, a good trailer and Denzel Washington, you expect more than your average Cineplex drive-thru.
And you'd be surprised twice. Of the two major releases this weekend, Hart's War is the winner hands-down. It is a shockingly well-crafted, layered, and subtle film.
Hart's War needs to be explained a bit. Despite the ad campaign, it is not a war movie and Bruce Willis is not the lead. True, it takes place during WWII and Bruce Willis is given the angelic star treatment, but the real concern here is ideals of honor and newcomer Colin Farrell, who is the actual Hart of the title. Hart is a lieutenant who is captured and caves to interrogation after a few days. Sent to a POW camp, he encounters Col. William Macnamara (Willis) - the highest ranking prisoner there and unofficial leader of the allied prisoners.
While Hart gets the feel of the place and Macnamara smirks a lot at the Camp's SS Commander (Marcel Iures), two Tuskegee Airmen are downed near the camp and become prisoners. This causes tension, as several of their fellow soldiers are also virulent racists. Two related murders occur, and one of the Airmen named Lincoln (Terrence Dashon Howard) is charged with the crime. A mock court martial is allowed to proceed under the Commander's watch. Hart is appointed defense counsel by Macnamara, who has plots of his own - most of which include smirking.
Don't get me wrong: I've got nothing against Bruce Willis. He's a great action star, has great screen presence and cares more about his material than most aging action stars (when's the last time Harrison Ford gave a rip about any movie he was in?). However, with a few good exceptions (12 Monkeys, The Sixth Sense), he pretty much plays himself in every film. He does it well, and he does it here, and it's hard to see past the Willis effect.
The real surprise here is Colin Farrell. This guy is an amazing talent, and his understated performance projects vulnerability and strength at the same time. It's hard to be in the same frame as Willis and not get obscured by his action icon status - only Samuel L. Jackson and Haley Joel Osmet have really pulled it off - but Farrell earns his stripes and more with this role. Director Gregory Hoblit took then-unknown Edward Norton and rocketed him to stardom with Primal Fear. Let's hope this movie does the same for Farrell.
Also giving commendable performances are Marcel Iures as the manipulative but still human SS Commander of the Camp (in a small but wonderful moment, Farrell asks, "Where is your son fighting?" Iures gives a small, painful smile and replies, "He fights no more.") and especially Terrence Howard as the man on trial. He has a monologue near the end that is so good it literally eclipses everyone else -even Willis...Until he finishes.
The film is beautiful to look at, with crisp blues and lurking shadows enveloping frame after frame. The early battle scenes have a real intensity to them, making it all the more surprising when they become less and less important as the film goes on. And director Hoblit keeps a tight control on the film, making us interested in the moment without telegraphing every plot twist to come.
Yet Hart's War is not without it's flaws: we don't learn much more about the other men except that they stand by Willis's character, and the Col's master plan is never quite explained. The early battle scenes also have a degree of gore and violence that never carries over to the rest of the film, and were probably unnecessary.
However, there are a million different ways this movie could have ended, and the writers and director deserve extra credit for keeping us guessing. This may be one of the only Bruce Willis movies on recent record that ends with quiet gestures and strong words instead of explosions and a saved world. The ads make Hart's War look like Die Hard in a prison camp, and that couldn't be farther from reality. Instead, it is a powerful small film that has real things to say about honor and ideals. It is a stand-up war drama.
