Straight Into Darkness

A War Film not to be missed.
I have collected War movies since I was a teen. Now in my 40's I have now seen or own more war movies than most can imagine even exist. I thought Id seen every variation on a war movie you could do. Walking through Walmart a few weeks ago I stumbled across this and even though I had never heard of it decided to give it a try. I was impressed, to the point where I can't get it out of my head. What a jem! Maybe it does borrow a little from the Gary Sinise character in a "Midnight Clear" & certainly offers a little nod to "Castle Keep" but beyond that it is a truly original and surreal story that may not fully fall into place for you until the very end. It is an independent film with a bigger movie feel. (After "Saint & Soldiers" & this I think I could be hooked on Indie war movies).

Set in the winter of '45 the film adresses the horror of war from perspectives that you won't expect and leaves you questioning the motivations of those that choose to fight. An interesting...

A surprising independent find, heralding great films to come
Director Jeff Burr may have defined a career trajectory point with his superb work on "Straight Into Darkness." Like Oliver Stone's "PLATOON" or Terrence Malick's "THIN RED LINE", Burr does not shy away from the graphic realities of war, nor does he skate over philosophical and character themes. As eloquently described in a current FILM THREAT feature story and review, Burr gets the most out of his cast, crew and concept and delivers that long sought after (but seldomly found) independent film treasure. Bravo!

Excellent independent war film.
I had the pleasure of meeting producer Chuck Williams the other day and he was very proud of this little film. I understand why. The movie is set in 1945 at the tail end of the war in Europe. The Americans and their allies have basically won, but not all the troops in the field know this yet. Two American deserters come across a group of freedom fighters that consist of two adults and several children. They are living in an abandoned building in the hills and survive by raiding Germans and stealing supplies. Eventually, a group of Germans surrounds the building and the group must repel wave after wave of Nazi soldiers. I will not give out spoilers, but there is a reason the Germans want to take this building. There is a real beauty to this film. The way it is shot and the music reminds me of early Werner Herzog work. For World War 2 fans, there is plenty of action as well as the Germans and children battle it out for the last 30 minutes of the movie. There is also a beauty to these...

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