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Highly Overrated But Still Good

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

For those interested in WW2 or not, this movie is a masterpiece and for a change not made by Hollywood, but a high budget film made by one of the the nations that has had to deal with the madness and suffering of this pointless slaughter at the eastern front. It may frighten American/British viewers not used to subtitles, but do not miss it because of that. It has among the greatest younger generation of German actors in their early roles before Hollywood careers (Thomas Kretschmann!). This really brings out the futility of this campaign and focuses mainly on the Wehrmacht, not psychotic Waffen SS-stereotypes.It is painful to watch, yes, mostly focused on a platoon, certain character portraits from the German side, not the Russian side, but is in no way glorifying or justifying the Nazi ideology. It's just a very realistic, gruesome portrait of the insanity of war and waste of human lives.Do not miss out on this one!

This film used to be one of my favorites as a German teenager and re-watching it after 15 years was almost painful to some degree.The film now appears a reaction to stereotypical characterizations of Germans in US films, where they are all inherently evil. Unfortunately the film goes completely overboard with there being way too many good Germans. To make matters worse, the "bad Germans" are mere caricatures, which seem to have been pulled straight out of Raiders of the Lost Ark.Such a shame to be so disappointed as I had been really looking forward to seeing this again. Admittedly this is a very juvenile attempt at history and depicting Germans a human rather than evil. As one German reviewer rightly concluded, the film does feel like it is playing down fascism and the Nazism.Down from 9 out of 10 to 6 out of 10 Definitely will not be buying the DVD after seeing it again.

It's August 1942 and some German soldiers are resting in Porto Cervo, Italy after battling in North Africa. Lieutenant Hans von Witzland is their new by-the-book commander. The men are soon sent to the eastern front. It's a harrowing fight filled with horrors as they get surrounded by the Russians.It is a little bit hard to differentiate some of the men. Most have similar haircuts and some look very similar. It's also hard to differentiate by their voices since I don't understand German. I certainly don't recognize any of the actors. Once they get into the battle gears, it's nearly impossible.The battle sets are big. The rubble is impressive. However there is something old fashion about some of this. It doesn't have the feel of reality. There are too many wildly overacting "shocking" cliché moments. Everybody is yelling. The action is also not the best choreographed. It is still impressive that they actually stage them. Overall there are some good gritty bloody stuff going on but it gets undercut by a lot of clichés.

This is a worthwhile movie and I have it on DVD in original German/Russian with subtitles. That certainly creates a certain atmosphere. I have also got Anthony Beaver's excellent historical book on the Battle Of Stalingrad. I understand what the Director was trying to do with the movie; the whole men are just men, the inhumanity of man, there are no winners in war etc. but to me the film didn't seem to quite know whether it wanted to be a depiction of the battle or an anti-war morality tale. It's called "Stalingrad" but Stalingrad is really just a stage set where the "Band of Brothers" theme can be played out. Some have said Enemy at the Gates is a better movie; I would say it is a complementary movie and between both movies we get a strong feel for what it must have been like to have been there and died. On a more general level I have the view that Cross of Iron is the best movie I have seen on the war on the Eastern Front while Downfall remains for me the best war movie of all. But put those 4 together and you have IMHO an comprehensive package regarding Hitler's folly in Russia.