Two Men Went to War (2002)

Comedy drama based on the true story of two British Army dentists who in 1942, eager to see action, go AWOL and invade occupied France on their own.

Director:

John Henderson

Writers:

Richard Everett (screenplay), Raymond Foxall (book),

Stars:

Kenneth Cranham, Leo Bill, Rosanna Lavelle

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kenneth Cranham	...	Sgt. Peter King
Leo Bill	...	Pvt. Leslie Cuthbertson
Rosanna Lavelle	...	Emma Fraser
Phyllida Law	...	Faith
James Fleet	...	Maj. Bates
Julian Glover	...	Col. Hatchard
Anthony Valentine	...	SM Dudley
David Ryall	...	Winston Churchill
Derek Jacobi	...	Maj. Merton
Richard Sutton	...	Pvt. Horrocks
Anthony O'Donnell	...	Chief armourer
Paul Bayfield	...	Mike (soldier #1)
Jason Round	...	Soldier #3
Tim 'Nobby' Clarke	...	Young sergeant
Nick Miles	...	Sgt. Mowat

Storyline

Based on a true story, Sergeant Peter King of the Army Dental Corps, too old to fight, and Private Leslie Cuthbertson, a trainee dental mechanic in the Corps, are thrown together by their passionate desire to see active service. Armed with just two revolvers and a dozen grenades, King persuades Cuthbertson to join him on a mission to occupied France. In a letter to Winston Churchill, King explains their intention to invade France and fight the Germans. After a number of failed attempts, they finally arrive by boat and stumble across a German radar station. They succeed in blowing up what they believe to be the main Operations Room, but are soon forced to make their escape as the entire compound unexpectedly erupts with gunfire and explosions. After narrow escapes from the Germans and a stray mine in the Channel, the two men are picked up at sea and interrogated as spies. Identified as deserters, they are returned to their barracks to be court-martialed. At the eleventh hour King and ...

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Plot Keywords:

british army | boat | dentist | sergeant | attack | 

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Taglines:

A true story . . . that no one believed

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Genres:

Comedy | War | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language and some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 November 2002 (UK)

Also Known As:

Foggal és fegyverrel

Filming Locations:

Charlestown, Cornwall, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$10,672 (USA) (26 March 2004)

Gross:

$150,208 (USA) (27 May 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ira Trattner Productions, Little Wing Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film's closing prologue states: "King and Cuthbertson never saw each other again. Sergeant Peter King was transferred to active service where he won the MC. He was awarded the DSO in Korea and finally promoted to Major. He retired to New Zealand and died in a motoring accident in 1962 . . . Private Leslie Cuthbertson was transferred to the Durham Light Infantry and also survived the war. In 1967, he was made Deputy Lord Mayor of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He died in 1995."

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Goofs

During the attack on the German Listening Post the Sergeant climbs over a container to get onto the roof. This type of container wasn't invented until 20 years later in the 1960s.

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Connections

Followed by To More Men Went to War (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Geneva Moon"
by Paul Reeves

User Reviews

It's not a documentary!

This film is a solid 6/10. 3 out of 5 Stars etc...

First - it is billed as a comedy-drama based on the true story of two men who go AWOL in order to invade France. Anyone who is going to be so upset by lights on in a harbour or no tape on the windows that they would rant about it for weeks probably won't like this film.

Second - anyone who can enjoy a film for what it is, in this case a light comedy-drama based on bizarre true happenings, will likely enjoy this film.

In true British style, Two Men Went to War, is a story of character development and plot. It is not a Hollywood block buster action flick nor a Japanese sword fest but rather a mature enduring story that is family friendly and a joy to watch.

Why only 6/10 then? It could have been a little deeper for my taste and I would have liked to see some of the moral issues of the day addressed. It is definitely more light comedy than drama.

A worth-while watch for those who can ignore minor historical inaccuracies like no tape on windows, lights on in a harbour and a modern shipping container that could have easily been covered in canvas.