Iron Cross

"Iron Cross" features the late actor Roy Scheider in his last performance. Once again, Scheider's portrayal of his character is captivating and moving. This film is fast paced and will keep you guessing about where the story is taking the audience. The locations that are utilized in the movie make a visual impact upon viewers. Helmut Berger is wonderful in his role as the former officer who is hiding his true identity. The scenes between Scheider and Burger are intense. This is a fine film to end the career of an esteemed actor like Scheider. The soundtrack is outstanding and compliments the plot well. Finally "Iron Cross" imparts a message that is critical to future societies throughout the world. It is important that the memory of this dark time in history is kept in the forefront.

So, now it is 2016, 7 years after the release of the last movie Roy Scheider ever made. People in Europe in 2009 got to see it. It has never been played on television, and it has never gone to DVD or any other media. WHY? I am appalled, and angry that this movie has not gained any recognition from any film studio. And as I have not seen this movie, I will probably never be able to enjoy the last film of a great actor. There used to be a link to the official website where you could actually find out the status of the film and DVD sale. But even that has gone away. What do you have to do to make sure this movie doesn't die somewhere in a close vault??? Mad as hell.

My wife and I had heard of Joshua Newton's film being developed many years ago, and we were saddened by Roy Scheider's untimely death. With new technology, the film was able to be finished.

We were not disappointed. Beautiful Blue Eyes is constantly moving, always moving forward type of movie. The historical uniforms, trucks and equipment look very authentic.

So many people associate the Holocaust with Auschwitz alone, yet mass shootings were also a large part along eastern Europe. This movie illustrates another side of the Holocaust.

We strongly encourage everyone to watch this gripping film.

BEAUTIFUL BLUE EYES - review

You'd be forgiven for expecting a revenge thriller about the Holocaust to have been a fully exhausted, predictable and an over-exposed subject by now. However, Beautiful Blue Eyes, directed by Joshua Newton, breaks the mold.

It is the last ever film of Roy Scheider, in which he plays a retired NYPD cop who visits his estranged son, living in Germany. The story explores the lack of trust between father and son, at first somewhat tensely and the viewer remains just the observer. But with flashbacks to the horror of Nazi-occupied Poland, we are soon fully immersed in the family's tragic history, the unreasonableness of Jew hatred and the futility of war. The main character, Joseph witnesses such cruelty and injustice that no wonder he seeks revenge when he suspects he has found the perpetrator of that injustice, years later. Do not expect the predictable. There is a twist to keep you guessing.

The character of Joseph, played by Roy Scheider, is loosely based on Joshua Newton's father, Bruno Newton. Bruno died during the filming of the movie from the same disease that took Roy Scheider's life nine months later. Originally intended for released in 2009, this new edit of the film, titled Beautiful Blue Eyes, has been made for theatrical release in 2022.

It's clear the director put heart and soul into this. I just wish more movies had this dynamic level of storytelling. It's a great story. Scheider is great. His young co-star Alexander Newton is does a fine job too.