kbone54 I would have gave this film a 1 but the directing and camera work I though were pretty good. First off let me say this does not star John Lennon as they imply, he plays a small role in this film. This is a gag they use to sell a movie, Call it Murder (Midnight) with Humphrey Bogart comes to mind the only difference between the two is Midnight was a good movie. The movie jumps around a lot and is kind of hard to follow and if there is a message of anti war it's not a very clear one but this is the baby boomer era so you have to consider the source. There are some humorous parts to the film but for the most part it seemed to me that it was a bunch of rambling on by the characters in the movie with some Monty Pythonish humor thrown in. I was going to buy this film for my collection but was glad to see it on Netflix so I did not have to waste any hard earned dough. So if your looking for a lost classic you won't find it here, I would say check out Bogart in Midnight or currently going as Call it murder at least there for 1934 you will see great directing technique and a great film.

Lee Eisenberg Taking a break from the Beatles, John Lennon starred in the zany "How I Won the War", about a wacky platoon in WWII. The movie shows that while Lennon devoted his life to political issues, he clearly had a humorous side. I guess that with all the horror in war, we have to try and keep our sense of humor somehow. There may have been some controversy about this movie when it first came out, given the Vietnam War, but there's never a dull moment anywhere in the movie. It just goes to show what a great guy Lennon was."And I'm not a thief, really. I've never found anything worth keeping." Now that's just a great line!

tforbes-2 I saw this film on FLIX today (20 March 2006) for the second time, and appreciated it a lot more than I did when I first saw this in Syracuse, NY around 1981 or so. Not only do I see a parody of war films (such as Lawrence of Arabia, whose theme is used), but it seems oddly appropriate for America in 2006. By that, not only do I refer to the war in Iraq, but also the corporate mentality that pervades many quarters.John Lennon does steal the movie! Indeed, he had a better chance than Elvis Presley did when it came to a movie career, but Mr. Lennon declined the chance to do so. The rest of the cast is fine, particularly Michael Crawford, Roy Kinnear and Alexander Knox as the US General. This is one brave and prophetic piece of film-making.

Patrick King Maybe true heroism is less than heroic. "How I Won the War" is a very funny movie that in its own surreal way depicts very real and less than heroic motivations for war. The setting is North Africa and Europe during WWII. The insinuations of absurdity could be any place and any time. Aptly portraying the soldiers is a cast that includes a young Michael Crawford playing the group leader -- bumbling, patriotic, and self-possessed of a desire to be rewarded. Roy Kinnear competently plays the jolly and slightly addled, clear-thinking (albeit mumbling) realist. Michael Hordern is the Blimpo commander with the proverbial blinkers on, never letting his men down when it comes to providing them with exhortation. There is also John Lennon who renders a very capable job of portraying a naive pessimist (perhaps a reflection of his feelings at the time about his role as a member of another group). No one ever really dies in this movie; they merely change colors. And in the end, the entire experience of war is capsulated into a home movie. Look for Alexander Knox playing an American general.