I'd like to open this brief review by clarifying my chosen 'title'. Im not here to bash America or Americans - but this film was made explicitly for an American audience with American values. In such a regard i would imagine it succeeds magnificently.
That aside, it fails on several levels. Ignoring the obvious budget and acting restraints, its fair to say that its historically ambiguous at best. Plain wrong at worst. The film implies that the planned attack slows and fails apart from in the American sector where a battalion of 'New Yorkers' has penetrated the German lines alone and is now cut off. Although this 'may' have happened to the unit mentioned, the main attack did not fail - it was part of the allied Grand Offensive (which ended the war) and must be taken in context if the story is to be told.
This may appear to be nit-picking but its merely a part of the whole picture. For example; the film has you believe that the reason the Americans won was simply because they were American! Or 'Gangsters' as the German officer comments at the end. This is compounded by the concept of the men involved were such 'good' men. The best America has. Noble though this suggestion is, its out of place in a film about the First World War. Think of films about this war; Paths of Glory, All Quiet on the Western Front, Beneath Hill 60 etc .... All address the ultimate futility of the conflict. There is not honour or glory, good or bad.... Merely the living and the dead. There was no ideal to live up to or evil to be usurped. The Lost Battalion does not address this in any way. It shows to an extent (or tries to at least) the horrors and brutality of wars. And it implies that the horror and butchery can be justified in bringing a group of New Yorkers (Poles,jews etc) together as 'Americans' ... You could take the entire film, characters and sequences and transplant them into a Second World War environment and the viewer wouldn't know. That is poor story-telling.
I also thought that it was a wasted opportunity to include homage to the two African American regiments involved in the Battle. Often overlooked by film makers but not the writers of history books thankfully!
(At this point I feel I must acknowledge Americas valuable contribution to the War and the loss of many of her gallant sons. This film does not do them the justice they rightfully deserve)
So - my gripes out of the way I'll continue ... The film has to be forgiven its low budget and does well in the action sequences, although they can be a little confusing to the viewer at times. The script doesn't give the cast much to work with, which leaves weak characters, but they do their best and should be commended for that at least. The effects are handled well enough and the film flows easily. There is nothing stand out about this film but then again there is nothing terribly bad about it either. Hence my 5/10 ... Had they improved the script and the subtle flag waving it may have garnered a respectable 6 or even a 7...
That aside, it fails on several levels. Ignoring the obvious budget and acting restraints, its fair to say that its historically ambiguous at best. Plain wrong at worst. The film implies that the planned attack slows and fails apart from in the American sector where a battalion of 'New Yorkers' has penetrated the German lines alone and is now cut off. Although this 'may' have happened to the unit mentioned, the main attack did not fail - it was part of the allied Grand Offensive (which ended the war) and must be taken in context if the story is to be told.
This may appear to be nit-picking but its merely a part of the whole picture. For example; the film has you believe that the reason the Americans won was simply because they were American! Or 'Gangsters' as the German officer comments at the end. This is compounded by the concept of the men involved were such 'good' men. The best America has. Noble though this suggestion is, its out of place in a film about the First World War. Think of films about this war; Paths of Glory, All Quiet on the Western Front, Beneath Hill 60 etc .... All address the ultimate futility of the conflict. There is not honour or glory, good or bad.... Merely the living and the dead. There was no ideal to live up to or evil to be usurped. The Lost Battalion does not address this in any way. It shows to an extent (or tries to at least) the horrors and brutality of wars. And it implies that the horror and butchery can be justified in bringing a group of New Yorkers (Poles,jews etc) together as 'Americans' ... You could take the entire film, characters and sequences and transplant them into a Second World War environment and the viewer wouldn't know. That is poor story-telling.
I also thought that it was a wasted opportunity to include homage to the two African American regiments involved in the Battle. Often overlooked by film makers but not the writers of history books thankfully!
(At this point I feel I must acknowledge Americas valuable contribution to the War and the loss of many of her gallant sons. This film does not do them the justice they rightfully deserve)
So - my gripes out of the way I'll continue ... The film has to be forgiven its low budget and does well in the action sequences, although they can be a little confusing to the viewer at times. The script doesn't give the cast much to work with, which leaves weak characters, but they do their best and should be commended for that at least. The effects are handled well enough and the film flows easily. There is nothing stand out about this film but then again there is nothing terribly bad about it either. Hence my 5/10 ... Had they improved the script and the subtle flag waving it may have garnered a respectable 6 or even a 7...