castielminion1 I had to order this movie in from the US because you can't get it in Britain. But it was worth all the hassle of tracking it down because it is an amazing movie. Ethan Hawke is great as the young Sergent who must lead a group of frightened young soldiers to the German front. Gary Sinise is amazing as the emotionally damaged "Mother" Wilkins, and the supporting cast is great too! When the group discovers a Nazi camp of soldiers who have lost the will to fight, an uneasy truce is formed, which will ultimately and in tragedy as the American Platoon try to protect "Mother." The movie is brilliantly acted and with a emotionally powerful ending. (I was very nearly crying at the end!!!!) Defiantely worth hunting down!!!!

winch-1 This was not a film a WWII vet would enjoy. Trust me.When my 73-year-old father-in-law came to visit, my wife decided to fill an afternoon with a video he might like, a war movie. Being Christmastime, she chose this particular war movie for her elderly father.One would assume such a man might be uncomfortable watching a war movie featuring disdain for the Army, snowball fights with the Germans, random religious symbolism, a homo-necro-erotic moment, collusion with the enemy, and a deeply felt anti-war message. Though I think this is one of the finest anti-war movies (with a Christmas theme) ever made, I did point out to my wife that we do have a copy of "12 O'Clock High" she could have shown her dad instead. (He was grumpy for the next two days after watching this.)Beautiful direction and camera work, with Utah subbing for the German-French frontier in wintertime. (You will feel colder watching this movie.) A thoughtful film with tension, grace, action, emerging stars and a fascinating story, "A Midnight Clear" isn't a family film, by any means. There are too many "F"-bombs for kids, and too little John Wayne, respect, and gung-ho attitude (but enough blood) for the Greatest Generation.Like "M*A*S*H" in its darker moments? Then you're going to like "A Midnight Clear".

Tunalicious There were three scenes in this movie which ultimately turned me off. 1) The de-virginization gang bang with the soldiers and one women. I found this scene just plain wrong. 2) The washing of the dead soldier. 3) The squeezing of the blood from the dead soldier.I don't know if anyone else found these scenes off-putting at all, but they ruined the movie for me. I would have liked the movie if it were not for these three scenes. I've watched many perverse and disturbing movies, "Bad Lieutenant" and "Seven" to name a couple off the top of my head. However, I was unable to properly digest the scenes in "A Midnight Clear" and found they destroyed the movie for me.

whizlue This is undoubtedly one of my best favourite war films so far. The film is basically about war and the tragedy it causes, a really typical combination for any war films. Yet, on this film, these two elements are depicted as pure and simple beings built upon the warmth of humanity. If I say Schindller's List is about military dignity and the struggle for humanity, this film is about the unfruitful struggle for the coexistence constrained by the systemic rules and military principles. So, two films take different perceptions and maybe even incomparable, but I love this film more than Schindler's.The music, especially the song by Sam Philips, is as melancholic as Mad World by Gary Jules. As far as I have googled (fairly extensively), there is no music CDs sold containing the Sam Philips version of 'It came upon the Midnight Clear' so I eventually recorded the song into MP3 format from a DVD I had bought from Amazon.com. If you love Gary Jules's Mad World, you will surely like this, too.Although you cannot expect too much on its making quality, if you love a sentimental feeling, this is worth having a look.