sesquipedalian-overtones I have to confess I only watched the second half of this movie. On TV, not in a theater.But it made a very strong impression on me. The music. The slow-mo scenes. The lighting. The dialog.War films are usually very predictable and categorical. This one is original and subtle instead. Arty, even.But it is still a war film, full of gore and blood.So, if you're sensitive enough to be touched by the beauty, but not too squirmy to be put away by the violence, you will certainly like this one.

fertilecelluloid From Jeff Burr, the director of the chilling horror anthology, "From A Whisper To A Scream", comes this highly original, sometimes surreal genre hybrid that mixes horror, magic realism, and bloody war themes. Set at the end of WW2, two deserters (Ryan Francis and Scott MacDonald), both traversing very different roads to hell, are captured inside a fortress by a band of orphaned children who have been schooled in the ways of survival by the crusty David Warner. When German soldiers attempt to penetrate their home, the deserters overcome their cowardice by engaging the enemy in a brutal firefight and executing a plan to save the children. A simple synopsis does not convey the cinematic joys of this stylish, emotionally wrenching movie. Shot in Romania and directed with considerable skill by an American, it feels entirely European and shares similarities with the Russian war masterpiece, "Come and See". In terms of tone and visual presentation, I was also reminded of Michael Mann's flawed but atmospheric, "The Keep". The score and sound work are brilliant, as are all the performances. Burr cast real orphans -- some scarred, one without legs -- to play the on-screen orphans, a strategy that pays off in spades. The screenplay, which deftly explores identity and the concept of belonging, is spare and taut. Like the best movies and like life itself, "Straight Into Darkness" is not one thing; it is many.

trobinson017 I don't see how anyone could give this "gem" any good comments. Long, slow moving, drawn out storyline, barely visible plot, bad acting, absolutely pointless flashbacks/dream sequences. I could barely stand to watch the whole thing but I just had to see if ANYTHING would redeem this mess. The description on the CD case made it sound like a thriller on the edge of scary type of war movie. It wasn't sad, funny, scary or thrilling. It was just plain old boring. I haven't seen anything else by Jeff Burr but if this is the best he can do I'll avoid any of his other works like the plague! Save your money and rent something worthwhile, like Erasurehead.

Michael O'Keefe World War II is waning, and two American soldiers Deming(Scott MacDonald)and Losey(Ryan Francis)desert from their fighting in France. They are soon captured and on the way to their court-martial, they survive a surprise attack and crawl through a mine field to safety. They brave the rugged winter and become confused to their location. Upon finding an empty building, the two are aided by some orphaned children that seem to have some rather strange fighting techniques and their teachers as Nazi soldiers try to surround them. Flashbacks and hallucinations muddle the story. Some of the war scenes are gruesome, but still this film gets old quick. Supporting cast includes: Linda Thorson, David Warner and Liliana Perepelicinic.