Assault on Hill 400

Bad acting for the most part with a weak plot. Michael Madsen and Billy Baldwin's performance is severely lacking. These actors (and I use that term loosely for this movie) need to hang it up, if you see their names in a movie, it's going to be one to avoid. The best acting came from the nurse, who has a minor part and Eric Roberts is underutilized; mainly just clicking a camera every few seconds.

Some of the gear and uniforms were okay, while others are really poor quality; you can see better at a reenactment. It's apparent that there was no technical advisor and the Germans are for the most part laughable.

Best thing the producers did was use Eastern Costume for the wardrobe or this film would have a 2/10 rating. I would expect better from an Asylum movie by now. Just grabbing a couple veteran actors is not enough to overcome bland script and poor special effects. Set locations were also very bad along with camera work. Cinematography is almost non existent save for one scene opener showing the hills with some very dense low fog. As far as the "battle sequences", not in any way plausible. So much for the crack German troops that were mentioned by the general with his helmet on in the HQ. Only other + was shooting on Red Digital. Thumbs down!

The fact that "well trained and resupplied German soldiers" (not the weak Polish kind, as the General described them), can be seen shooting a Thompson at 5:38 (behind the German holding an MP40), and another one shooting a Grease gun at around 5:59 (hiding behind the tree) made me giggle. If they are what the General describes, then there's no need for them to use US weapons. Not to mention the poor tactics, use of ranks, lingo, and what not.

Also, this movie only portrays what seems to be a incomplete squad from 2nd Rangers. Some of the roles in the squad seem to be replaced by ordinary riflemen. It should be mentioned that there were at least 457 enlisted men and 27 officers from 2nd Rangers who went up that hill. And a whole bunch of infantry before them, sustaining a minimum of 16,000 casualties.

It's inaccurate, the acting is stale. I can't say much good about this movie. This movie clearly missed out on military advisors, and perhaps some acting classes.

How to do a better job on this production?

First, hire a military consultant. That would get by the majority of the issues.

Next, hiring an acting coach. Not a really expensive one. Maybe a director from the Little Theater of east New Jersey.

Taking these two steps would great enhance the production value of this movie.

Then the next step would be to follow just a little of the historical facts associated with this battle.

This film is almost a disservice to the memory of the heroes that fought in this battle.

Dialogue is awful, could could have used a little polishing.

If nothing else I learned to never watch a film directed by this guy.

So they send out a platoon of 5 guys and a war photographer and they take the best defended hill in the first 30 minutes. Stopped watching at 44 minutes. Utter dross.fight scenes laughable. 2 machine gun nests taken by 4 guys and mo with carbines making a frontal assault with no cover. These guys also forgot to take their rations of grenades with them. If they had any they could have saved themselves a lot of grief in the fire fights. This hill should just have been obliterated with artillery and then assaulted by 2 tanks. No trenches, no minefields and 1 pillbox. Monte casino it was not. Thank goodness the yanks joined the war or we would all be speaking German.