Straight Into Darkness (2004)

Director:

Jeff Burr

Writers:

Jeff Burr (story)
Jeff Burr (written by)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Plot Keywords:

Dead Children | WWII | Blood | Hanged Child | Armed Child

Cast

Ryan Francis	...	Losey
Scott MacDonald	...	Deming
Linda Thorson	...	Maria
James LeGros	...	Soldier
Daniel Roebuck	...	Soldier
David Warner	...	Deacon
Liliana Perepelicinic	...	Anna
Gabriel Spahiu	...	The Lunatic Priest
Rebecca Denton
Nelu Dinu	...	Nelu
Mihai Verbintschi	...	Buchler (as Mihai Verbintshi)
Ion Bechet	...	Sergeant
Iulian Baltatescu
Okan Kayam	...	Darius (as Okan Kaian)
Andrei Dumitrescu	...	Andrei

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, disturbing images, language and brief nudity.

Runtime:

USA:95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

German | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | UK:15 | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Bucharest, Romania

Company:

Chuck Williams Productions

Goofs:

Factual errors: One of the AWOL soldiers is a paratrooper from the 82nd Airborne Division. He wears the correct airborne-style helmet, which has a chin cup and extra reinforcing straps. The other GI is a regular ground infantryman whose helmet should have a standard, simple strap with no chin cup. However, he too is wearing an airborne helmet.

Quotes:

Deming: I am the conquer worm!

An Excellent, well made film

This is an excellent film. As promised, I won't include spoilers. It has the feel of "Johnny Get Your Gun," and is a little like Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket." It shows two human's experiences in a very, very dangerous place and time. The two characters have almost contrasting personalities, yet stranded alone must depend on each other. Deming, a nasty and frightening character, is played by Scott MacDonald. He is a fantastic actor, who simply becomes the roles he takes on. Losey, played by Ryan Francis, is more thoughtful. He has more heart, and a conscience.

This film did very well, with good reason, at the film festivals that have shown it. Though it has a low budget, this for the most part does not detract from the film. The movie does have it's light moments, but for the most part, is for the brave hearted. Jeff Burr and Mark Hannah, the director and producer, made excellent choices when they picked the spots for shooting the film. They perfectly reflect the tones of the scenes, be they sad, frightening, or, once in a while, light and hopeful.

All in all, this film is very well made, and well worth your while, with a new take on the horrors of war.