The Lost Battalion

Rick Schroeder stars in this made for A&E true story of an American battalion during WW1. In particular, it tells the true about a battle that resulted in the awarding of 3 Medals of Honor. This film contains a lot of battle scenes and they are quite bloody. It's the story, told from pretty much only the American and German sides, of a battle in the ending weeks of the war. The killing continues unabated, and there is plenty of blood and action to suit even the most action craving viewer. The Americans have penetrated deeply into German held territory and threaten the entire German front from behind. Naturally, the Germans want the Americans out of their area and put forth a maximum effort to dislodge them. But the Americans plan to stay and the resulting battle over the next 3 days or so is graphically depicted. There's not a woman in the film at all; the entire film takes place on the battlefield. Yet, even without romantic interludes, there are very few minutes in the film without some sort of action. The entire cast did a great job. All in all, a very enjoyable and well-made film!

We watched this last night - I only hired it because it was about WWI's Western Front, one of my abiding interests.

This faithful re-creation of the brutal slaughter of two thirds of Whittlesey's battalion in the Argonne Forest in WWI is one of the finest war movies I've seen (and I include Saving Private Ryan in that list).

The director uses the same sort of hand-held camera footage to re-create how the on-going massacres must have looked through the eyes of the men on the ground. The scene where a man takes a direct hit from a bomb and is vaporised, with just his rolling helmet remaining, is mesmerizing. My partner and I were open mouthed in awe.

As happened so often in WWI, the stupidity and stubbornness of the commanders, often 20-30 miles behind the front line, seems incredible. And the bravery and dedication of the Battalion, made up of a motley crew supposed misfits, mostly from the 'seamy' suburbs of New York, is amazing and beautifully portrayed.

Even the Germans are well rounded characters, not just stupid Huns. they become human too, even if you don't much like them.

And over it all is the poignant underlying knowledge that this is October 1918, just 5 weeks before Armistice Day. It all seems so futile.

But the Battalion held and was credited with being the spearhead for the Allied breaking of the German lines in the area.

I wholeheartedly recommend this movie to all aficionados of war movies.

This movie, for all the hype, is really a let down to those who know what really happened in the Charlevaux Ravine between October 2nd and October 8th, as well as the offensive fought in the Argonne Forest between September 26th and November 11th. Factually the movie repeatedly persists in making very basic mistakes concerning uniforms, dialog, military matters, and a whole host of other points too numerous to mention in this post. The quality of the acting is marginal at best, the continuity falls well short of the mark, and the story line fails to follow what really happened. The researchers obviously didn't do their jobs - otherwise the majority of the mistakes made would never have occured (ie: it wasn't the '308th Battalion', it was basically the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 308th Infantry Regiment, 154th Infantry Brigade, 77th Division, and elements of the 306th Machine Gun Battalion, and Company 'K' of the 307th Infantry - it is also inconceivable that combat soldiers would STAND UP in the middle of an attack and expose themselves to infilading fire) The location chosen for the film does not resemble the Charlevaux Ravine in the least, nor does Rick Schroeder resemble Charles Whittlesey (or act like him for that matter). All in all, except for certain battle scenes, this movie was a pure waste of film. Robert J. Laplander Author of the forthcoming book "Epic in the Argonne: A Comprehensive History of Charles W. Whittlesey and the Lost Battalion"

I must give the staff at the A&E Network thier proper praise, because everytime I watch one of thier origianl movies I'm always left feeling satisfied and entertained. Thier Original films like The Crossing, or Sharpe's Rifles are always on the mark, and never Disapointing. I must say that the A&E Studios is the best made for TV studio -bar none. Movies like the Horatio Hornblower series and this one "The Lost Battalion" are proof that A&E Studios are the best made for TV movie studio on earth. I'm surprised this film wasn't shown on the big screen.This film is easily A&E's most expensive and most elaborate production to date.

This film is a very Brutal look at World War I and It is based on a true story. and by the looks and feel of this film A&E Network spared no expense to get this film right. Rick Schroder gives a very Moving performance(even better than his role in Lonesome Dove)and all the other actors do a magnificent job in this film. The Special Effects are perfect and are comparable to any major big screen war movie I've ever seen(although the jerking/shaking camera shots and the overall dirty gritty feel did remind me of Saving Private Ryan). This film has a very touching human story that make you proud to be an american. I loved this film and I plan to purchase a copy on DVD. Even the Music score is very well done. I would recommend this movie to anyone(except it may not be suitible for young children). this film depicts dealing with losses, trusting in blind faith, and finding the courage to carry on. I cant say enough good about this film. I would have gladly paid to see this in a theater! I gave this film 9 out of 10 stars - a near perfect film.

I'm surprised this movie didn't garner more attention. By and large it is factually accurate in the actual events as well as the uniforms, weapons, and grittiness of close quarter combat. The acting is way above average in its portrayal of the diversity of the soldiers that made up the 77th Infantry. I've watched it twice looking for flaws, which were few and far in between. If you're into WWI history, this is a must-see.