Cheap A Midnight Clear (DVD) (Peter Berg, Kevin Dillon) (Keith Gordon) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of A Midnight Clear

A Different Look at War
Instead of focusing on shooting and killing, "A Midnight Clear" takes a different approach. Set during the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes forest, a squad of six green American soldiers is sent on a mission to do reconnisance on enemy activity in the area. Fear and tension build as the greenhorn recruits search for the enemy. But when they finally discover the German camp, they find a small band of soldiers not unlike themselves; scared, cold, and wondering why they are fighting this war anyway. A tentative truce is formed between the Germans and Americans, and they even celebrate Christmas together. But soon the truce explodes into horrifying violence.

An all-star cast graces the screen in this film. Ethan Hawke stars as Sgt. William (Will) Knott, the leader of the squad. The viewer also hears narration of the movie through his voice. Gary Sinise plays "Mother", a twenty-six year old vet who has just found out that his two-day old child has died. Frank Whaley is "Father", a seminary school drop-out who still harbors his religious training. He even forged an agreement with the squad not to use profanity, but you'll see how far that goes. Arye Gross stars as Shutzer, the soldier who first encounters the Germans and helps formulate a plan for their surrender to the Americans. Peter Berg is Miller, and Kevin Dillon stars as Avakian. John C. McGinley stars as Major Griffin, the commanding officer who everyone in the squad hates, and the one who nearly gets everyone killed in the end.

I enjoyed this movie a great deal. I thought the premise was good and the acting, especially by Hawke and Sinise, is first rate. I had a little problem with the way the Germans and Americans so readily accepted each other, but the botched surrender helps clarify things a bit. World War II fans should enjoy this fine film.

---

A Most Unusal War Movie
'A Midnight Clear' tells the story of a small band of American GI's lumped together in an intelligence unit because of their high IQ scores. The characters are well rounded and show their intelligence as when one soldier recognizes the serious situation they're in when he spots 'SS' markings on a German half-track. This band of young soldiers is posted in a chateau to observe and wait for a possible Nazi offensive and report their findings back to their lines. The offensive comes, with great ferocity and in a terrifying scene shows just how it must feel to have a force of great violence bearing down on you. Then follows a strange pattern of events, mostly built around the fact that in these waning days of the war the average German conscript was more interested in staying alive than fighting. The movie takes many odd turns. Many good performances especially Gary Sinise as a soldier who suffers a breakdown and John C. McGinley as an arrogant Major that is such a creep he even steals the chains off the tires of the squad jeep when they're not looking. A tense psycological drama with dark humor and a memorable conclusion.

---

A Midnight Clear
Not a typical war movie and difiniteley not a "feel good" story.
This is not a war movie crammed with unlikely battle scenes, heroic "citizen soldiers", or wisecracking warriors. The action is sparse and concentrated in just a few, brief minutes of the film. The casting is near perfect as is the acting and photography. It is definitely an anti-war movie, but the producer and writer do not hit the viewer over the head with this message. It is a very powerful movie in spite of what must have been a relatively low budget. Highly recommended for the serious, thoughtful, viewer.