Watch The Execution of Private Slovik For Free

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Overrated

Highly Overrated But Still Good

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

warning: Spoilers in the comment.I don't agree with those who try to cast Slovik's case as some kind of brave act of civil disobedience. It certainly was not. Slovik was expecting the same leniency as other deserters received before him; and when he realized his case was really going end up in execution, it was too late.However it confirmed my conviction, that no American citizen should be forced to fight for the sake of an Allied country. It maybe sometimes reasonable for a country under attack, in a middle of an existential threat, to conscript able-bodied men against their will, and execute them if they refuse to fight; because there is no room to retreat, it is fight or die. However, neither Slovik nor million other non-volunteer US conscripts were a French or Belgian citizens. It was not their moral obligation to fight and die in Europe. Of course, U.S. did the right thing to intervene; and it should have sent all the volunteers she could muster. However a moral line was crossed when young men were conscripted against their will at the threat of jail punishment; and another line was crossed, when one of them was executed for refusing.

ALL OF THIS recent attention about the Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl exchange for five (5) top Al Queda mastermind murderer/terrorists has brought this story from World War II about Private Eddie Slovik. He is the only member of U.S. Armed Forces to have been executed for desertion since the Civil War.THE STORY WAS brought to the screen by Universal Television and the NBC TV Network in 1974, March 13th, to be exact. We well remember that this TV movie was heavily promoted and being treated as a very special event. This is one time that the ballyhoo boys were correct., absolutely.THE STORY DOES a great job in explaining the situation. Private Eddie Slovik was an experienced and battle tested combat veteran. He became separated from his outfit; which afforded him a sort of respite from the life of battle.WHEN HE FINALLY is to be reunited with his Company, he refuses to do so; opting instead for incarceration in the Guardhouse. Lengthy efforts were made to the young soldier in order to get him to change his mind. His obstinacy leads him to finally being executed by firing squad.METICULOUS STORYTELLING IS employed in order to get the story behind all of this incredible, but true, story. We get a glimpse of the man as a boy, who had a difficult childhood. He married young and soon after his former Draft Classification of 4-F was changed to 1-A and he was inducted into the Army.BEAUTIFULLY AND MOST realistically mounted, the production has a great and most authentic appearance. It literally transports us to 1944 Europe, France to be exact, with a World War yet to be won or lost. The cast, headed up by Martin Sheen, is outstanding. In support, we have Mariclaire Costello, Gary Busey, Matt Clark, Ben Hammer, Warren J. Kemmerling, Charles Haid and many others. Ned Beatty stands out as Chaplin, Father Stafford.THE INHERENT DRAMATIC intensity of the story hits a tearful crescendo as Private Slovik (Mr. Sheen) continually repeats the Hail Mary; while he prepares to meet the Firing Squad. it is as emotionally charged as any scene in any film, even a theatrical production. (This could have done well as a Feature Film to be shown in the Movie Houses.) IT WAS WELL received and heavily honored at the Emmy Awards. The sympathy was clearly with the hapless Private Slovik from the very start, or even before the start; as the promotional material poses the question, "Was it Cowardice or Conscience?"IN PLAYING THE role of 'Devil's Advocate', we must ask the following question. It concerns the man who is implicitly rendered as being the bad guy in this affair. That is Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General Dwight D. Eisenhower. One must consider the circumstances of War. With thousands of men being killed and seriously wounded all the time, the execution of one deserter wouldn't rate very highly.

I think the movie goes back into history during the Piast Dynasty with the Polish King Boleslaw II the Bold. King Coleslaw suspected Stanislaus Bishop of Kracków of pretending with his younger brother Wladyslaw to over throw him in the invasion of Red Ruthenia. Staniclaus was executed for the plot. Later, the Polish deposed King Boleslaw II and he was exiled to Hungary and Wladyclaus was the new King. Most of the people in WWII were Slovic Origin and someone is always pretending in movies. Martin Sheen is a good actor for the part and his son Charlie Sheen plays a boy in the movie. This is the first movie Charlie Sheen has been in. I think a good Kantian way of looking at his execution is Moral Justice. If he were a Police Officer I would wonder what his gun is for. If he were a security guard he would have License for a gun. If I get a job as a security guard Im going to decide if I will carry a gun or not. If have a gun and a citizen gets hurt because I don't use my gun I would be sued and fired and convicted and probably be shot to death by the assailant. So maybe its frivolous but important to the Law.

William Bradford Huie was a terrific writer and this fact based movie of his book is also terrific. Though Huie believed that Eddie Slovik should not have been shot, I disagree. War is hell and no man should shirk his duty when called upon to do his duty as many were willing to do; he was unwilling to do his duty when called upon. He was a coward, a very selfish man, and his criminal record shows this and demonstrates his unwillingness to conform to society and be productive. He was willing for others to do his duty while he wanted to live his life as he wanted. If everyone was allowed to do what he wanted to do we may very well have lost WW II--what a horrible thought! Martin Sheen gives his best performance of his career in this movie; too bad that it had to be so unsympathetic a role. Slovik received what he deserved; too bad others think not.