Hart’s War ***
Directed by: Gregory Hoblit
Written by: John Katzenbach (novel), Billy Ray and Terry George (screenplay)
Starring: Colin Farrell, Bruce Willis, Terrence Dashon Howard, Cole Hauser and Marcel Iures.
Rated R (It’s a movie set in a POW camp that isn’t run by Col. Klink)

Before seeing this one, I was somewhat... I don’t know. I mean, for me, WWII ended with Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line. We don’t need to make any more movies about The Big War. Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and The History Channel have told us pretty much everything there is to know about the war. Yes, there are still some great stories to be told, but, they belong on PBS. Hollywood is in desperate need of new ideas.

With that out of the way, I wasn’t disappointed in Hart’s War. See, it’s not really a war movie – it’s a courtroom drama with the war in the background. Mostly.

Lt. Tommy Hart (Farrell) is, as John Fogerty would put it, a fortunate son. His dad is a senator. Which means that he will probably never see actual combat. Prior to the war he was in his 2nd year of law school at Yale. While driving a captain back to his base, the jeep Hart is driving is ambushed, and Hart winds up being interrogated and transported to Stalag VI A. The colonel in charge of the American troops is McNamara (Willis). After being debriefed, Hart is sent to bunk with the enlisted men, rather than the officers. “No room,” is the reason given. During the stay, two black 2nd lieutenants (Tuskeegee airmen, to be precise) are brought into the American camp. They, too, are sent to the enlisted men. Of course, this didn’t go well at all. One of the pilots is framed by Bedford (Hauser), and is executed by the German soldiers, thus setting things in motion for a court-martial trial for Lt. Scott (Howard).

I’m giving Hart’s War 3 stars. Of course, you know that already, since it’s listed at the top of this review. The thing is, while I liked the movie, there’s nothing really outstanding in it.

I like both Bruce Willises. I’m certain that there are two of him. Another critic (whose name I don’t remember) suggested it, and I think it’s correct. We have Bruce Willis, Actor, and Bruce Willis, Action Hero. BWA can be seen in “Moonlighting”, The Sixth Sense, and Pulp Fiction. BWAH can be seen in Die Hard With A Vengeance, The Fifth Element and Armageddon. Both are good. In Hart’s War, we seem to get BWA. Not exceptional BWA, but, the performance is solid. Colin Farrell has redeemed himself from American Outlaws. He has leading-man good looks, and I like him more than the current crop of teenie-bopper magazine cover models. While Terrence Dashon Howard doesn’t have the screen presence of Michael Clarke Duncan, he doesn’t stink up the screen. Cole Hauser plays a jerk well, and Marcel Iures plays a Nazi. The performances work.

I really liked the 1st and 2nd acts of the film. Most of the 3rd act as well.

The movie starts out by touching on some important issues that better works have brought up (friendly fire, institutional racism), but that’s really it. Racism is more a plot device than a central issue of the film. Lt. Hart’s struggle to prove himself worthy of his rank and to and to actually understand what happens in a war is good for awhile, but, alas, the movie shows its hand too soon. The movie ended like it had to, but I was somewhat disappointed, anyhow.

Hart’s War is probably your best bet this week. It’s not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s just not that memorable.