leif-kjaer

Usually I do not like war movies, but this one is excellent seen from different point of views.

The dialogue is fantastic and helps describing the characters. Every line is as written for the actors.

And what an incredible cast: Michael Caine as Nazi officer driven by duty and honor, Donald Sutherland as an amazing Irish dog and horse whisperer (there is always those sparkling glimpses in his eyes!), Robert Duval as colonel Radl (he does not play the character - he IS in fact the colonel), Donald Pleasance as a slimy and yet funny Himmler and not to forget the energic Larry Hagman as "home made" American red neck officer. Besides that a good supporting cast.

But what is more important in this well done movie is the complexity of the war combatants - e.g. Caine trying to save a jewish women from certain death, one of his soldiers saving a little English girl from drowning at the water mill, Hagman as an incompetent, but yet war loving officer, sacrificing of an actor who takes over Churchill's part. The conclusion is that when you cut down to basics you will find honorable men among the enemies (Nazis) and less sympathetic men among the Allied.

By the way - there is a lot of humor on both sides - and that is not too bad though!

A lad from Scotland asks a question in a user comment: "Why does everyone hate this movie?". Below you will find my personal answers to this question.

1) I felt asleep several times while watching the movie.

2) The plot is very thin - in fact filled with bomb craters.

3) The cast acts really badly - and the best ones of the cast seems to bore themselves while acting.

4) The editing is terrible.

5) Why are the German quarters, camps or radar stations never guarded by more than a handful of soldiers? Because our brave heroes can fight an easy victory.

One nice thing must be mentioned: the wonderful military march based on the theme "O when the Saints..."

My rating: 2 out of 10.

This is one of the funniest movies I have seen for a long time - and yet with a depth you would not expect from a movie like this. This bunch of criminal outcast with personal problems and skeletons in their childhood cupboards manage to form a true friendship and community far from the environment they are used to.

The movie is stacked with strong action and actors: Pilmark is over the top as raw, but yet soft gangleader, Mikkelsen as psycho-gunman, Thomsen as TV-drama-loving drug-addict and Lie-Kaas as the eternal snack-eating soft guy. Even the supporting cast does a good job - just to mention Thestrup as the weapon-crazy farmer and Helmuth as movie history's greatest alcoholic doctor - and do not forget Graaboel as Lie-Kaas annoying and "normal" girlfriend.

Funniest scene: shooting cows in the forest - my God, I was rolling on the floor of laughter.