49
Metascore
32 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliWorks uncommonly well because of the effective manner in which it blends together its various elements: the WW2 prison camp setting, the courtroom aspects, and the issues of honor, racism, and redemption.
- 70NewsweekDavid AnsenNewsweekDavid AnsenGets too earnest for its own good. But Billy Ray and Terry George’s screenplay, taken from a John Katzenbach novel, is expertly plotted.
- 63Baltimore SunMichael SragowBaltimore SunMichael SragowCould have been a contender, but it lacks the courage of its own ambivalence.
- 60Chicago ReaderLisa AlspectorChicago ReaderLisa AlspectorA mildly psychological suspense thriller with military trappings.
- 60VarietyTodd McCarthyVarietyTodd McCarthyAbsorbing in a low-key way but more dramatic where its secondary characters are concerned than its leads, and capped by climactic incidents that are less than entirely convincing.
- 50Miami HeraldRene RodriguezMiami HeraldRene RodriguezThe movie's exploration of prejudice within the military is certainly on target, but it's presented with all the finesse of a classroom civics lesson.
- 50The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam LaceyThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam LaceyHaving seen the TV series "Hogan's Heroes," we already know that a German prisoner of war camp can be cartooned; Hart's War goes further as a cartoon that takes itself seriously.
- 50New York Daily NewsJami BernardNew York Daily NewsJami BernardHart's War has its priorities clear, but delivers them with insulting simplicity.
- 50Washington PostStephen HunterWashington PostStephen HunterIt more or less self-destructs in a ridiculous last few minutes when it becomes a noble sacrifice-o-rama.
- 40Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversDirector Gregory Hoblit ("Primal Fear") is merely arranging cliches in new patterns until the surprise ending blows enough pro-military fervor up the audience's ass to make Colin Powell call a halt.