Better than I thought it'd be, actually. Maybe it's because the title reminded me of "A Bridge Too Far" but I was expecting some long, windy, dull epic, with lots of talking general heads, and maps. Instead, what I got was a fairly terse war film with well executed battle sequences. Indeed, the first hour, where most of the scenes center around a war weary, cynical American platoon led by a war weary, cynical lieutenant (a solid George Segal) and seconded by a cheerfully amoral staff sergeant ( a fine, jaunty, mercifully non methody performance by Ben Gazzara), has echoes of the Old War Film Masters like Fuller and Walsh. Credit director John Guillerman, a dyspeptic Brit who's often been compared, in temperament, if not style, to Hathaway. Unfortunately, the second half gets way too messagey with not only 60s Anti Establishment tropes flung in our faces but War Is Madness stuff thrown in for good measure. And the direction of the German side of things, as per usual, tends toward the stiff, humorless and declamatory, including a miscast Robert Vaughn as the anti Hitler commandant. This actor was always better when he had a soupcon of satire or spoof to work with. So let's give it a generous B minus for at least not boring us to death, a la Attenborough. PS...Grim combat has never looked so lovely as in the lens of the great Stanley Cortez, especially the night time stuff.
Review of The Bridge at Remagen
