I'm fascinated by World War II, but I have a dilemma when it comes to movie representations of the war. I think a lot of 1950s and 60s WWII movies are too cheesy to be believed; however, contemporary films about the war are incredibly violent and tend to have preachy messages. So I don't actually like a lot of WWII movies, even though I'm interested in the war itself.
"Hell is for Heroes" is, thankfully, a movie that lies somewhere between 60s cheese and today's realism. It's not packed with blood, gore, and guts, but when people die in this movie, they die in agony, and it's effective. The combat is loud, intense, and convincing - for an old Hollywood movie, mind you.
Another realistic touch about this movie is that parts of it are slow. Whenever I read up on wars, I invariably encounter a description of how a soldier's life is frequently boring, consisting only of waiting around for the action to start. "Hell is for Heroes" captures that "waiting around" feeling - much of the first hour is taken up by idle chat between the soldiers. While that kind of pacing might bore some viewers (and it did try my patience a bit), I thought it lent the film verisimilitude.
As is common for a war movie, the characters are not necessarily that well-developed. However, I found the acting quite solid. Steve McQueen always seems to have the same stoic and cool persona, but it works for me - his charisma is undeniable. Harry Guardino and James Coburn also give strong performances.
I should also mention that the movie actually has some genuinely funny moments, particularly when the heroes try to use a backfiring jeep to convince the Germans that the American position is defended by tanks!
Ultimately, I enjoyed "Hell is for Heroes" quite a bit, even if I didn't find it to be an all-conquering war classic. You can buy it for pocket change on DVD, so if you're a fan of McQueen and you can stand a slightly slow pace, pick it up.
"Hell is for Heroes" is, thankfully, a movie that lies somewhere between 60s cheese and today's realism. It's not packed with blood, gore, and guts, but when people die in this movie, they die in agony, and it's effective. The combat is loud, intense, and convincing - for an old Hollywood movie, mind you.
Another realistic touch about this movie is that parts of it are slow. Whenever I read up on wars, I invariably encounter a description of how a soldier's life is frequently boring, consisting only of waiting around for the action to start. "Hell is for Heroes" captures that "waiting around" feeling - much of the first hour is taken up by idle chat between the soldiers. While that kind of pacing might bore some viewers (and it did try my patience a bit), I thought it lent the film verisimilitude.
As is common for a war movie, the characters are not necessarily that well-developed. However, I found the acting quite solid. Steve McQueen always seems to have the same stoic and cool persona, but it works for me - his charisma is undeniable. Harry Guardino and James Coburn also give strong performances.
I should also mention that the movie actually has some genuinely funny moments, particularly when the heroes try to use a backfiring jeep to convince the Germans that the American position is defended by tanks!
Ultimately, I enjoyed "Hell is for Heroes" quite a bit, even if I didn't find it to be an all-conquering war classic. You can buy it for pocket change on DVD, so if you're a fan of McQueen and you can stand a slightly slow pace, pick it up.