Everyman's War - Hölle in den Ardennen

From working in Hollywood, I'm use to seeing every kind of movie, from student films to big Hollywood blockbusters. Everyone wants their opinion on how a script should be written and what will draw an audience in. Refreshingly this movie doesn't fit any stereotype. While not a movie with a huge plot (ex: we must take this outpost or the world will end!) it focuses on one man's personal experience of what it was like being an infantry soldier in World War 2... and for once, the story is true.

Based on the real life experience of Don Smith (the director's father) we get to see first hand what it was like for the "every man." Having to leave your family and loved ones... facing a fear of death on a daily basis and the human emotions and relationships that go hand in hand with fighting for your life. For an independent movie, this film has good production value and remembers and honors every soldier, no matter how small their role was in history.

I saw this film when it won best feature at the GI film festival in DC. in 2009 I have been waiting for it to come out on DVD. Being in the military I didn't know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised at its realism. Not in a Hollywood way but in a real way if that makes sense. If your just looking for senseless killing and gore then this isn't it. It has a story behind the battles. I think that's why some other people may not have liked it. While it has action it isn't a non stop kill fest! My girlfriend even thought it was awesome. I don't know what the other guys review is talking about I don't think a movie with bad acting would win an award like that but hey that's just my opinion. I liked it allot.

I love WWII movies but this was some really bad dialog. Like they just learned their lines for the first time. Really weird. Oh and like everyone else said about the Germans but at least they were speaking German so not that noticeable.

This movie is like someone's first movie they made out of film school and they couldn't afford actors. The story line is bad, the special effects, the game looking scenes the put in was funny as heck. Everything was bad but the dialog stuck out even more. How did this even make it to final draft?

Really bad stuff. I wish I didn't see it.

The true story of Don Smith and his fellow soldiers leading up to the Battle of the Bulge in December-January, 1944-45, is chronicled.

"Fallen Not Forgotten" (2009), aka "Everyman's War," is a WW2 Indie only costing $720,000 and is reminiscent of "Straight into Darkness" from five years prior, just more straightforward and less surrealistic. It was a labor of love written & directed by the sons of the real-life protagonist. "The Frozen Front" (2017) is another comparison. While this isn't as good as "Straight into Darkness," it's superior to "The Frozen Front."

I watched it because I was in the mood for a WW2 flick, but also because I heard how little it cost and wanted to know if a decent WW2 film could possibly be made on such a non-budget, shot exclusively in Oregon of all places. Just think of the cost of apprehending items from the early 1940s, such as clothes, cars, uniforms, weapons, military vehicles and a tank or two, not to mention convincing sets. Then you have to have enough money left over for competent no-name actors and amenities, like lodging and catering.

Yet the Smith brothers pulled it off. Sure, it's a micro-budget Indie, but the story & characters drew me in enough to give it a marginal thumbs-up for those who don't mind spare change Indies. The well-depicted Germans even speak German (with English subtitles).

The movie doesn't overstay its welcome at 1 hour, 43 minutes.

GRADE: B-

I don't get what the big hype is for. i got this movie out on the strength of all its five awards it got, didn't end up being able to sit through the whole thing. If you speak any German do not watch this, the movie does not cast the average German soldier in an evil light like many other WWII movies, but the accents are like getting your teeth pulled out. Why couldn't they get some decent German actors? the American actors speaking in German are truly awful. The plot is weak in the extreme, and the acting and dialog is disjointed and awkward. This movie would be fine if you are really bored. Apart from that the movie is on a super low budget, so you don't even get good action scenes to make up for the terrible German accents and the sloppy lines.