The Hollywood war wagon marches on. "Hart's War," starring Bruce
Willis, comes right behind "Behind Enemy Lines" and "Black Hawk Down"
and precedes "We Were Soldiers" and "Windtalkers."
Based on the novel by John Katzenbach and set during the closing months of WWII, rising star Colin Farrell (the upcoming "Minority Report" and "Daredevil") is Lieutenant Tom Hart, a young officer with an influential father and no combat experience.
Following a thrilling opening sequence that results in Hart's capture, a German officer interrogates him, seeking the whereabouts of certain fuel camps. Three days is all it takes for Hart to break down and point to a place on a map.
POW Hart is then sent to a stalag in Germany. There he meets the commanding U.S. officer, Colonel William McNamara (Willis). Since the officer's quarters is full, Hart is forced to bunk with the enlisted men.
{INSERT_RELATED}In the beginning, this is fine. The men are a friendly enough bunch who have developed a daily routine at the prison. They play cards, throw the football around and enjoy the little freedom they have. It looks like Hart is going to fit right in.
But the arrival of two African-American officers, pilots Lincoln Scott (Terrence Howard) and Lamar Archer (Vicellous Shannon), quickly disrupts everyday life.
Most of the men, particularly Bedford (Cole Hauser), are bigots who don't want to share a bunkhouse with the two men. They do all that they can to make life miserable for Scott and Archer.
One night, German officers storm into the bunkhouse and find a stolen metal spike under Archer's bed. He swears it was planted and pleads for his life, but moments later he is executed. Hart and Scott are both convinced that Bedford is responsible.
After Bedford winds up with a broken neck, McNamara persuades the prison's commanding officer to let him stage a trial. Hart is appointed to defend Scott for the murder of Bedford. A guard claims to have seen Scott standing over the body, making sure the deed was done.
Hart is adamant that Scott is innocent, but he receives little cooperation from McNamara. Something isn't right, and he is determined to get some answers.
"Hart's War," while entertaining throughout and never once boring, never fully captivates and fails to leave much of an impression thanks to an overly saccharine conclusion and too much sermonizing. Instead of letting the film speak for itself, the viewer is subjected to narration that attempts to do the feeling for us.
The story itself is set up very well and manages to be engaging for almost the entire running time. The pacing is swift, the editing is solid and there are even a few surprises that seem genuine and not thrown carelessly without regard to the plot.
But the finale leaves a lot to be desired. The film becomes preachy and a certain character's actions are highly unlikely. The wrap up is pure Hollywood hokum and demands that we feel good while we exit the theater.
Willis, who received $20 million for his role, has a glorified cameo until the end. Little acting is required and he has the same stoic expression on his face throughout. Farrell and Howard, however, do excellent work.
"Hart's War," directed by Gregory Hoblit ("Primal Fear"), is easy to watch and enjoy, yet it never completely wins you over. It's a good example of a could-have-been or almost-was.
"Hart's War" opens at theaters everywhere on Fri., Feb. 15. Click here for showtimes.
