Reveille

Brilliant depiction of a soldier's experiences, one civilians can only imagine. Reveille is a throwback to the days when acting was subtle and provocative, when a mere gesture said it all, when understatement mattered. Ackerman takes us to the heart of the battlefield, to humanity in raw form in this artfully done, atmospheric depiction of war. Unconventionally, for a war flick, it slows down, pauses in all the right places underscoring the conflict of conscious, the self-preserving mechanism of laughter, the sanctity of loyalty and sacrifice, all present minus the distraction of frenetic energy and quick moving scenes. Instead, from the beginning, we agree to patience, to listen, reflect, ponder expressions, words, gestures, and all the while we're tricked by the dark humor and bonding of the Americans, but then jarred back to reality with a frequent panning of the camera to the Germans and their suffering, and so it goes back and forth, juxtaposing the two, laughter and pain, until the two are indistinguishable; and, hence, the psychological aspect, which makes it engrossing, disturbingly real, to the point where it's no longer about the enemy, or one side or the other, and war is deflated in a sense, absurdly irrelevant when weighed against a moral conscience. Masterpiece. Thank you for it!

I have never seen a film like this, high school students could play better, the total cast is 20 person and all of them disasters. Screenshot is also bad. I don't how people can give this movie 10?! And furthermore I am a native German speaker but couldn't understand most of the talking of the soldiers, also the English is also not good. Even the uniforms of the soldiers are a bit different. The whole movie is in a cave where wounded soldiers are talking, and when they are not talking you watch them for ten fifteen seconds and nothing else happens, they look to each other's. Totally waste of time!!!

Great movie about war and suffering - interesting angles, draing in the viewer by protraying the two contrasting sides in war, all appearing as humans in their own communities, but savage enemies as seen from the other side - absolutely brilliant concept and execution.

Nice touches all along the movie, one feels as if they're right there beside the actors.

Dialogues are natural, no forced feeling at all - absolutely brilliant!

Not your typical bang-bang-boom-boom war movie so if you're into call of duty type stuff, better find something else to watch - oh and please don't come here complaining that the setting doesn't look anything like Germany :D:D and similar sillyness :D - it is stated that the story takes place in Italy :D:D.

Magnificent, a truly incredible, original film. Reveille is a perfect slow burning smooth cigarette, beginning hooks you, total euphoria halfway through & state of deep reflection by the end, wanting more. This film has not been made before, I'm not typically a fan of war films-this is deeper than war, a study of humanity. The director/writer Michael Akkerman and the DP Cooper Shine are brilliant, the style and beauty of the film is mind blowing, they put you there, not only in the film but in the time period. The most special part of the film for me is it's cast, an absolutely flawless ensemble. Better than any hollywood casted ensemble film I can think of in recent history. Although they are all spectacular, Joe Bongiovanni as Leo was my favorite. Like Michael Madsen in Resevoir Dogs, he stuck out the most for me. He brings a 70s style realism in his performance that you absolutely do not see anymore. This film will change you, it's a must see. Bravo to everyone involved in this groundbreaking masterpiece.

This film keeps the viewer thoroughly immersed, from the opening title it immediately sucks you into a different world like a time machine with it's incredible artfully done cinematography and attention to detail of WWII in 1943. The outstanding performances by such a talented cast bring the viewer through a range of intense feelings and challenges their understanding of not just war but morality and humanity on a profound level. The characters feel as real as the danger that they're in and it's pulse pounding. This movie promotes a claustrophobic feeling as we follow the main characters through a time essential situation with chaos around the corner, this develops into a psychological battle between each other and their enemies. A brilliant and accurate depiction of war.