War is hell

My first praise of this film is the casting. Not only because Ritchson is a part of it, but many times I find myself curious about the next generation of movies. There's not really graduating classes of actors, per se, but a lot of the big things that come out anymore seem to have only the known actors. Across the board, Hollywood ages and the starring roles seem to age with them. Some of the biggest action franchises still in existence are helmed by stars well north of 50 years old at this point. So I come back to a wonder from time to time of where exactly does that next generation of actors emerge from. It's organic so it's happening as we speak. There are plenty of phenomenal actors in their 20's, 30's and 40's already acting. Some of them have fully owned their spot in Tinseltown. But when I watch a movie like this, I'm excited to see a well crafted film with a principle cast of actors I recognize but most wouldn't. Ritchson was my anchor. Like I said, this movie skated past me in 2020 when it came out. But 4 of the 5 main cast were familiar to me from other roles I readily recognized. And everyone did a fantastic job as well. This movie came to life on the wonderful portrayal of the dynamic characters in the story. So I was very encouraged by the performances in this film and do hope to continue seeing the actors outside of Ritchson make a name for themselves.

The second part of this film I really enjoyed was the merging of the genres. There was very clearly a ghostly element reminiscent of a film like "The Haunting", itself a remake of "The Haunting of Hill House". But there was definitively a war film component that seemed like it could be a plot line in something like "Saving Private Ryan". Not quite as developed of a story in that aspect alone but much more than simply the backdrop of World War II for the setting of the story. There was a strong combat film structure to how the whole plot unfurled. It was the marriage of these two that worked so well. And it's not that it was a pioneer, by any means. Military and horror have gone together many times. But there was something more intimate to this specific story that felt like it combined these two styles together in a very interesting capacity. Balancing the richness of each against the other worked very well. I'd point to the scene where the men are held up in the chateau and the nazi's attacked and there was a very real strategic effort that presented a military conflict on the front end but wove in a supernatural thread beautifully to elevate the scene with terrifying accents on top. It worked incredibly well.

The third element probably deserves a little bit of a spoiler alert. Yes, this movie is 6 years old but that's still new when you consider some of the movies I've watched are multiple decades old. With this also being one of those films that is a little off the beaten path, I do want to preserve the chance for you to see it if you haven't because it is a good watch. So this is your warning from this point on. Enter at your own risk. But the final piece I really enjoyed comes in the finale of the film. There is a twist to the whole story that they pepper in a handful of very subtle nods to without ever really feeling like they deliberately give it away until we come up to the conclusion of the film. The story as we know if from the onset is set in 1944 France. But the twist is that we are clearly in a present day and the whole thing is a simulation being perpetuated on military personnel that have come home from a conflict in Afghanistan. The story is actually ripped from their first person perspective and addressed through this smoke screen to help give their bodies time to heal in lieu of the mental strain that waking life would present given their trauma. The piece of this I enjoyed was a very real juxtaposition of the horrific things presumably perpetrated by the German soldiers and the modern atrocities these soldiers witnessed in actual reality themselves. They were not the ones to inflict the terror. But they had to live with the reality that they did not stop the horror from transpiring. There is a surreal kind of truth to the fact that it feels easier to lessen the nature of the tragedy if we set it in a bygone era. But confronted with that trauma in modern times and understanding that war, no matter what decade, continent, or capacity we find it, is most definitely hell. I particularly appreciated how there was a significant pull on the heartstrings in the finale. The emotional toll they allowed the viewer to undergo through the reality of the deaths set against a modern conflict brought the true fright to your front doorstep.

Now, what I didn't like. I positioned this here purposefully myself. That same finale, while executed really well, was also a little silly. I like the reveal. I liked the ending. But there were a few minutes when our commanding officer awoke from his induced coma to the reality around him. He was not trapped in a French manor in the 1940's. He was in a futuristic hospital room hooked up to what seemed like a lower budget version of the Matrix. There were digital displays happening in the middle of this stark white circular room. It just felt a little cheesy. It wasn't enough to really hurt the film as it was brief. But it was an element that took me out of the mix for a moment. I didn't hate it. But through all the genuine things they gave me, even while enjoying the twist of exactly what was going on, I just didn't like the visual aesthetic of this 22nd century looking medical facility. That's my biggest gripe with the film. So it's not a huge detriment but it definitely felt a little wonky against the number of things they had executed so well up to that point and then even after the fact.

I honestly don't think I have anything else truly negative to say about the film. The frights felt genuine and well placed. There were a fair number of jump scares but it never felt too heavy handed. They really nailed some of the eerie pieces that I enjoy quite a bit. So overall I think this was a really great movie. Ultimately I think I have to give it a B+. I know it still feels a little arbitrary where the line is between A ranked movies an B ranked movies but this one just never felt like it fully crossed over into a full on A movie. I did sincerely enjoy it quite a bit and wholeheartedly would recommend it any day of the week. And while so many of the elements seemed like they worked so well, it just truly felt like it was in that B tier. I give it the + because the detriments were minimal and the things they did well were plentiful. I don't know exactly what would have pushed it into that next tier up but when I give it the B+, it just feels right. And since this is basically my own scoring system akin to Whose Line Is It Anywhere where the points are made up and no one cares, the grading has an integrity to it for a reason but it's also completely my own assessment and curve. So we roll with it.

If you made it to the end, I'll say one more time to go check it out if you haven't. It's a great watch and I had a lot of fun with it. It's Saturday and we are one week away from Halloween at this point. I can truly see the end in sight. It's wild to think of how quickly October seems to have evaporated. But it's still been a great ride so far. This just keeps adding to the genuinely entertaining films I've consumed this year. I've got a couple waiting in the wings for tomorrow already. I had to tap the brakes as I thought about watching a couple unwatched flicks tonight just because I was in the mood. But I've restrained myself and we'll see what pops on the radar tomorrow. But until then, as I'm sure you're well aware of at this point, I'll catch you on the flip side.