Page 96 - History of War - Issue 05-14

REVIEWS THE PATROL LEE & GRANT SEVEN SAMURAI: BFI
60TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Dir: N/A History RRP £9.99
Dir: Tom Petch Soda Pictures RRP £9
★★★★★
★★★★★
Dir: Akira Kurosawa
BFI RRP £20
A terrific little British war film set
for the History
at the start of the Afghanistan Originally made ★★★★★
campaign, this was – predictably, channel, this If you Google
given that it emerged into a TV programme the phrase “the
climate of unquestioning Help For focuses on the greatest film ever
Heroes tub-thumping – overlooked American Civil made”, you get
by the cinema-going public. The War’s two main nearly a million
reason for this is that it’s an protagonists: hits. Downgrade
exploration of the psychology of commander of the Confederate that to “one of the greatest films
men going into war and slowly Army Robert E Lee, and Union ever made” and it shrinks to
coming to realise that they may Army General Ulysses S Grant. 642,000. The topic is, it’s fair to
have been misled as to the nature The programme plots the path say, one that inspires a great deal
of the task ahead of them, and of the two men, who hailed from of debate. But few would argue
the enemy they’re fighting. disparate backgrounds, with that Akiro Kurosawa’s 1954 epic
There’s a real air of authenticity Grant the son of an anonymous Seven Samurai would be in the
to it – one of the film’s poster really be called into question. animal-hide tanner, and Lee coming mix, in terms of scale, beauty and
screamers dubs it “Britain’s answer He also, one assumes, has a from a distinguished line of military narrative innovation.
to The Hurt Locker”, though there’s pretty good idea of how life can officers. It’s nicely produced, with Its influence on films in other
none of the grandstanding or quickly become surreal and plenty of dynamic CGI, animated genres, like The Magnificent Seven,
gung-ho heroics of that film. These disorderly when you’re isolated maps and re-enactments. It ably is well documented. The titular
are real men, as opposed to in a small team of men in the captures the scope of the four-year Samurai are masterless ronin
Jeremy Renner being a “real middle of nowhere, as the men of conflict, if not the finer details. protecting a village’s crops during
man” and wading into bomb- The Patrol quickly find themselves; You get a clear sense of the a famine in 16th-century rural
disposal sites like a bull in an and that when things start to men and their personal lives, but Japan, and are a flawed and
exploding china shop. The film’s malfunction – both in the physical the programme also serves to disparate bunch. Themes of honour
writer-director, Tom Petch, was world and in one’s own mind – remind us that, like most wars, the and the civilian’s relationship with
a serving squaddie for eight years, the structure of a unit starts to eventual outcome was as much the warrior predominate – and it
having done stints in – among disintegrate very quickly. due to the vagaries of random also helps that the battle scenes,
other places – Cambodia and You won’t find much in the chance as military strategy. Lee in particular the final defence
the Middle East, so he has an ear way of pyrotechnics here – The & Grant is a decent introduction of the village, are jaw-dropping.
for military language, codes of Patrol is smarter, and indeed to the Civil War, but will no doubt An uncommonly unpoetic offering
honour and interaction that can’t better, than that. Pete Cashmore leave you wanting more. Steve Jarratt at the time. Pete Cashmore

THE BATTLE LOVE AND HONOR GLORY OF GENERALS MODERN WAR
Dir: Rafa Lara Anchor Bay RRP £8 Dir: Danny Mooney High Fliers RRP £12 iPhone/Android app EasyTech Free iPhone/Android app Funzio Inc Free
★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★
It would be If you’re looking As someone who remembers Given the ongoing fractious state
stretching it a for a war film playing old-school games like Allied of the world, and the way in which
bit to call Rafa that’s full of General, I welcomed this simplistic we seem to be limbering up to
Lara’s telling action, step app where WWII military icons go ploughing into Nigeria, to sing
of the events away from this battle across tactical European the praises of any app that reduces
building up to DVD. There’s a maps. The graphics are good, 21st-century war into a (it has to be
(and, of course, smattering in the if small (they can be enlarged if you said, fun) game of strategy seems
the unfolding of) first ten minutes struggle), and a basic challenge a tad insensitive. But hey, as the
the 1862 Battle but, beyond that, for each level parallels a more man said, war is hell regardless of
of Puebla an epic, but this Mexico- the Vietnam War is more of a advanced objective. whether said fun apps exist or not.
centric rendering of the story is sub-plot than the central theme. Choosing to be either Axis In Modern War, you’re given
the host nation’s biggest-budget At the heart of Love And Honor or Allied forces, you can simply the task of running the military
film of all time, and has no small is, as the title suggests, love – enjoy hashing it out, or take machine of one of the world’s
amount of appeal to those of us specifically, the romance between your time and tactically compete superpowers – yes, the UK is
who enjoy seeing moustache- Dalton, fighting in the jungles of for glory locations – cities etc. one of them – slowly building up
twirling bad guys getting their Vietnam, and his girlfriend, Jane, Once familiarised with the array your inventory and weaponry until
comeuppance on the battlefield. back home in the US. When he’s of unlabelled pictograms, the you’re ready to start taking the
Outnumbered and under-armed, dumped by letter, Dalton decides commissioning, manoeuvring and fight to your global enemies. And
the men of the Cinco Do Maia to use his week’s leave to win entrenchment of infantry, armour or impressively, there are a good
battle somehow managed to drive Jane back. The film then dips its artillery becomes fluid. Beginning 300 missions to undertake along
back French invaders as they toes into the anti-war argument, with the evacuation of Dunkirk, the way. My tip is to play as one
marched towards Mexico City, as a means to cause conflict in Nazis then occupy the south of of the “bad guys” – China, Iran
and although The Battle unwisely the key characters’ relationship. Britain (outrageous!). Kicking or Russia. There’s something to
throws in a superfluous romantic The cast put in solid them out again with ground action be said about taking on the might
subplot and hams the French performances, with Liam and air or sea bombardments of the West on your way home
leaders up to Foreign Villain Factor Hemsworth believable as Mickey was very satisfying. Robin Worboyes from work. Pete Cashmore
11, the tension leading up to the Wright, and the plot is easy to
final, 30-minute battle is skilfully follow. OK, so it’s a poor cousin
executed. The subsequent carnage of Pearl Harbor – a romance
owes a good deal to the frenetic, with a bit of war – but it’s a good
dizzying style of the opening of choice for a not-too-taxing night
Saving Private Ryan, which can in. Just don’t go expecting an
only be a good thing. Pete Cashmore explosion fest. Anna Penniceard
96 HISTORY WAR
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