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Into the Darkness is about two deserters during world war two who escape their MPs and stumble upon a group of French resistance fighters consisting of two teachers and a hand full of special children. The kids all live in an old defunct factory with a hidden treasure. At first the GIs are not welcome, for reasons that are obvious if you see the film. They fight off a common enemy, some Nazis that come to the factory to get the treasure at the end of the war. The children and the GIs have no idea that the war is actually over. Lots of fighting and some flashbacks help explain some of the characters past. The story is entertaining and tragic all at the same time. Not as graphic as it could have been, the characters were all believable through strong acting and good direction. Not for the squeamish.

After a superior opening sequence in the minefield, the film winds down, with much walking and talking. It then picks up again when the battle begins between the orphan army and the Nazis. At this point the movie really has nowhere to go. Obviously the rag tag children are not going to defeat the Germans and their tank. Unfortunately the battle sequences are not always credible, and seem stretched to the maximum. I think that the initial idea of the two deserters could have been further developed, rather than boxing everything into a conclusion that is rather unlikely and therefore somewhat unsatisfying................. - MERK

The Orphanage meets Private Ryan. This is certainly a different type of WWII film. Not your daddy's tale of bravery.

But, it is just what you would expect from writer/director Jeff Burr, who gave us Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, Puppet Master 4 & 5, and Pumpkinhead II. A slightly bizarre twist on the usual WWII story.

Two deserters, Ryan Francis and Scott MacDonald, come upon a group of orphans that have mental and physical handicaps. The man and woman who ran the orphanage before the war trained them to fight. Deming (MacDonald) is a real sleaze, who tries to rape the woman despite her obvious scars. They are attacked by 60 Germans who are after treasure in the building where they are holed up.

The story is a mixture of strange and tender amidst the horrors of war. There is enough of Burr's past work to keep horror fans interested, but there is a beauty underneath, if you look for it.

Check it out for a different take on war.

I recently saw a special screening of "Straight Into Darkness" at the Italian Institute of Culture as part of the "Best of the Milan Film Festival" series. The title is very appropriate -- disturbing and thought provoking, the film takes the audience straight into the darkness, violence and brutality of war. The actors are terrific, most notably Scott MacDonald as Deming. The character's base, savage "survival at any cost" mentality is terrifyingly portrayed by Mr. MacDonald. I was so involved in the story that I was ashamed of Deming being an American. I have seen many films set in World War II, but none has ever affected me quite like "Straight Into Darkness."

This movie is such a mesmerizing and impressive experience that you won't regret to do. Beautifully shot on Romania with strong acting by a cast that includes Ryan Francis, Scott McDonald (JACK FROST!), Linda Thorson and David Warner. Probably, STRAIGHT INTO DARKNESS is Jeff Burr's masterpiece. It have flaws, like some obvious dubbing for the German characters, played by romanian actors. But none of them diminishes the valour of this great movie, that also benefits from a original and powerful script, not to mention the haunting, beautiful musical score.

STRAIGHT INTO DARKNESS have a sincere, thought provoking anti-war message and manages to be more than just a movie. Knowing that the kids casted on it were real life orphans only made the experience more human and emotional. War and general movie fans, be sure to don't miss!