World War II movie creates battle to stay alert, awake

by Todd Johnson
For The Post

Hart’s War is so dull. This reviewer watched the movie wishing that Black Hawk Down were playing on the screen, or remembering the classic World War II prisoner-of-war film Stalag 17. Any four episodes of that classic’s television spin-off, Hogan’s Heroes, would be far more entertaining than Hart’s War, and probably more believable.

Bruce Willis stars and gets to mug self-importantly in this preachy movie after spending so much of his career doing popcorn action flicks. Unfortunately, even Hudson Hawk contains more profundity.

Maybe not, but the issues raised in Hart’s War are not surprising. Apparently, many American soldiers during World War II were racists. Considering that the civil rights movement in this country did not begin until long after the war, this is not exactly startling. What’s next, a film that exposes the racism that existed during the Civil War?

The story centers on Lt. Tommy Hart (Colin Farrell), a winy and wimpy soldier from a privileged family who ends up in a German POW camp run by a sympathetic Nazi (that’s not a joke,) Col. Visser (Marcel Iures). Col. McNamara (Willis), the leader of the American hostages, is a racist and seems to be more of a bad guy than Visser. By far the most interesting point the film makes is that German POWs in the American South were treated better than black Americans. Now that you’ve read that, you do not need to waste your time with this movie.

A plot finally begins when two black Tuskegee airmen are captured and brought to the camp. Even though they are lieutenants, the enlisted men do not want to share quarters with them. One gets shot after an apparent escape attempt, and the other is accused of murdering a sergeant (Cole Hauser) who makes his racist views evident throughout the film.

The story becomes silly when Hart, a Yale law student, convinces Visser that the accused Lt. Scott (Terrance Howard) deserves a fair military trial. Visser, a Yale law graduate, goes along, provides assistance, and allows Hart to question his authority as Hart exposes corruption among Visser’s men in their bartering with prisoners. Apparently, Visser does not have a war to think about or Nazi superiors watching his back.

Added to the unrealistic trial is a ridiculously unbelievable climax. On top of this, and despite a camp full of prisoners and guards, only five characters have any personality, and the one who provides the most tension is murdered. Even Willis’ Armageddon has more character development.