Arbustus

This film makes one wonder why the Americans hadn't made it to Berlin by the end of 1941. A loudmouthed NCO and a few other Allied soldiers fight off hundreds of German crack troops at a desert well. How on earth did Rommel get to El Alamein? The original, starring Humphrey Bogart, was bad enough, although considering that it was made during the war, it probably served its purpose as a propaganda piece. To do a re-make (and do it thus badly) is simply inexcusable. If Americans learn about the war by watching movies like this one they will fail to understand why it took so long to defeat Hitler. And why should an Australian captain take orders from an American sergeant? It just doesn't make sense. I can well picture a US NCO TRYING to bully a commissioned Australian (or British) officer around - what I can't imagine in my wildest dreams is the officer taking the orders. I suppose the only reason Napoleon lost the Battle of Waterloo was that he didn't have an American sergeant by his side who'd have given him the right orders. What a load of rubbish this film is!

While I'm sure that many a viewer might not like this film, I think it's worth a visit to the cinema. The actors are wonderful - not only Gerard Depardieu but also Armand Assante and Sigourney Weaver and Fernando Rey. But the accents are a bit disturbing, which is why I consider this one of the very few films I prefer in a dubbed version (Spanish, to be precise).

Die Hard really is one of the best action movies I have seen in the last years. Especially Alan Rickman gives a fine performance as the archvillain Hans Gruber. His remark concerning the "benefits of a classical education", shortly before killing the company's boss is wonderfully chilling. And Bruce Willis - contrary to what I expected - is convincing as the honest John. But why can't they get their German right? "Schiess dem Fenster!" is about as wrong as you can get with this short sentence. Would it have been too much to ask a German whether these words were ok? Or is it simply that in Hollywood one does not bloody well care for other cultures?