Here be Spoilers ...
. . . . . . .
Somewhere there's a massive hole that this film fell into. If I can catch the mood of the film in two words it would be:
Barren.
Still.
An interesting 'what if' scenario that is given plenty of time (too much as it turns out)to develop but lacks any inspired input from any source whatsoever. I can't really comment on the acting because the dialogue in the film, thanks to the dreadfully thread bare script, is so scarce that you hardly notice anyone is in fact acting or interacting with anything.
The film title is 'Resistance' but where is the resistance? If anything its about passive submission and acceptance - and that submission and acceptance is achieved without any real dialogue, interaction or event.
There is no reason to fear the invader and no real reason to refuse their help. There is no tension created although it's hinted at all too briefly, but fades away the moment the three or four words are uttered. Then it's back to bleak rolling Welsh hillside, standing still and not saying anything.
The lone Resistance fighter and his mysterious contact are criminally under used and the plot holes are just annoyingly irritating.
I read in another review that not all war films are about guns, violence and cruelty. I agree you can create a story in the backdrop of war that doesn't have to have these elements physically in your eye line, but as they are all key facets of what War actually is all about then pretending they don't exist is ridiculous.
Are we to accept that a German unit can disappear off the map? that Teutonic ordered efficiency just stopped being a part of the German war machine the moment they reached Wales? That after taking such risks to hide themselves that they would risk it all for an agricultural show? No. These were desperately silly plot points.
Oh, there's also some bizarre sub plot line about a map. None of that made any sense whatsoever. Maybe a fan of the book could enlighten me, but it's inclusion in the movie seemed to be to pin together a few very thin and tenuous plot lines and let the sound man get over excited with a stabby staccatto violin piece (creating a rare moment in the movie where you actually think something may happen here!....but it doesn't...).
The best and worst aspect of the film though was the ending. Best because it ended (hurrah) and worst because it just leaves you sat there wandering...what was that?
. . . . . . .
Somewhere there's a massive hole that this film fell into. If I can catch the mood of the film in two words it would be:
Barren.
Still.
An interesting 'what if' scenario that is given plenty of time (too much as it turns out)to develop but lacks any inspired input from any source whatsoever. I can't really comment on the acting because the dialogue in the film, thanks to the dreadfully thread bare script, is so scarce that you hardly notice anyone is in fact acting or interacting with anything.
The film title is 'Resistance' but where is the resistance? If anything its about passive submission and acceptance - and that submission and acceptance is achieved without any real dialogue, interaction or event.
There is no reason to fear the invader and no real reason to refuse their help. There is no tension created although it's hinted at all too briefly, but fades away the moment the three or four words are uttered. Then it's back to bleak rolling Welsh hillside, standing still and not saying anything.
The lone Resistance fighter and his mysterious contact are criminally under used and the plot holes are just annoyingly irritating.
I read in another review that not all war films are about guns, violence and cruelty. I agree you can create a story in the backdrop of war that doesn't have to have these elements physically in your eye line, but as they are all key facets of what War actually is all about then pretending they don't exist is ridiculous.
Are we to accept that a German unit can disappear off the map? that Teutonic ordered efficiency just stopped being a part of the German war machine the moment they reached Wales? That after taking such risks to hide themselves that they would risk it all for an agricultural show? No. These were desperately silly plot points.
Oh, there's also some bizarre sub plot line about a map. None of that made any sense whatsoever. Maybe a fan of the book could enlighten me, but it's inclusion in the movie seemed to be to pin together a few very thin and tenuous plot lines and let the sound man get over excited with a stabby staccatto violin piece (creating a rare moment in the movie where you actually think something may happen here!....but it doesn't...).
The best and worst aspect of the film though was the ending. Best because it ended (hurrah) and worst because it just leaves you sat there wandering...what was that?