Sorry, this movie sucks

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The title here refers to the Iron Cross, a German medal for bravery, as the story focuses on one Nazi officer so set on achieving the titular medal that he recklessly puts the safety of his platoon, behind Russian enemy lines, into danger. Maximilian Schell is solid as always as the self-interested commander in question, though he is ultimately a supporting character here as the film is told from the prospective of a recently promoted sergeant in his platoon, played by James Coburn. The storyline is a little messy and comes off as more a series of episodes than a coherent narrative, and yet this chaos is somewhat appropriate for a movie about the madness of war. Memorable elements include Coburn warming to a Russian orphan who he takes back to his bunker, a couple of a latent homosexual soldiers facing off with Schell and a terrific sequence in which Coburn hallucinates while being nursed in hospital, with an excellent editing design perfectly capturing his confused state of mind. The film features a lot of quotable dialogue too and there is something to say for the film's uniqueness in showing the German side of things without demonising (all of) them. One does have to tolerate a lot of Sam Peckinpah's trademark quirks here - most notably, excessive slow motion shots - but the overall movie leaves an indelible impression, chaotic and frenzied as it may be.

Sam Peckinpah's sole war film is an anti-war epic set on the German/Russian front during WW2. Its hero is Sergeant Steiner, the one man who sees the corrupt evident in the German army and the one man powerless to prevent it. Steiner is played by James Coburn, a very good actor usually associated with westerns, and I really can't imagine anyone else in the role. Coburn is magnificent. He ably portrays a complex man, willing to do his duty for his country on the front line, but frequently ashamed, surprised, depressed and, in the end, driven half-crazy by the brutality and futility of battle. In fact, Coburn's presence alone makes this a very good film – but there are lots of other reasons it's fine, too.Even today there aren't many films detailing the war from the point of view of the Germans, and this depiction of the front line from the soldiers themselves is very well realised. Peckinpah, unsurprisingly, goes for the hellish, where children are gunned down, the innocent are slaughtered and the trenches are a mass of explosive attacks. The director's use of slow motion and freeze-frame editing is spot on, fitting the battle scenes very well indeed. The film takes a little while to find its course, but by the time it does you'll be hooked, and it finishes off with a massive, sprawling battle that really hits home the message that war is bad. The use of a simple children's song at the opening and closing credits, along with photographs of a young woman being hanged by a Nazi soldier, is utterly effective and completely moving.It's worth making note of the calibre of the supporting cast, too. Maximilian Schell makes for a compelling, humanised villain, yearning for a hero's status but unwilling to actually do anything heroic; David Warner is extremely realistic as the officer who's reached the extent of his powers, physically and emotionally, and is now nothing more than the broken shell of a man. James Mason adds the quiet dignity I've seen him bring to many a film. All in all, a very good film, filled with many unforgettable images of the results of man's violence against man.

It's 1943 at the Russian front and the Germans are losing. Rolf Steiner (James Coburn) is a superior soldier and leader of men. Aristocratic Captain Stransky (Maximilian Schell) is the arrogant true-believer new commander. During a bloody battle, the brave Lieutenant Meyer dies leading a heroic counter attack while Steiner is injured and Stransky bumbles in his bunker. The ambitious Stransky claims the counter attack as his own and requests the Iron Cross giving Steiner and the homosexual Lieutenant Triebig as witnesses. After a stay in a hospital, Steiner returns to the front unexpectedly and refuses to lie for Stransky. The order comes to evacuate but Stransky deliberately leaves Steiner and his platoon behind.Director Sam Peckinpah brings alive the war action. The story behind the action is compelling but it is the action that is exceptional. Peckinpah lets loose with an orgy of muddy explosive violence. The war action is relentless. Coburn is terrific as the leader of men. There are memorable sections like the female Russian squad. This follows the great tradition of anti-war movie.

A classic film by any criterion by Sam Peckinpah, in his usual blood-and-guts fashion. That fact aside, being quite strange, as it's very much an anti-war film, told really from the perspective of a rag-tag German Army platoon fighting its way back from the Russian Front in 1943 (the turnaround for the German Army in WW2). Rolf Steiner, (James Coburn), the respected stalwart NCO newly promoted from Corporal to Sergeant, falls foul of arrogant Prussian-Aristocrat officer, Captain Stransky (Maximilian Schell). Stransky, still a novice coming from peaceful, occupied France makes no secret of WHY he asked for a transfer to the Russian Front - 'to win the Iron Cross', he says, as arrogantly as he is... arrogant! He's immediately looked on with disdain by the ragged but experienced Colonel Brandt (James Mason) and Captain Kiesel (David Warner). Stransky even discovers himself a nice lackey, in Lieutenant Trebig, holding the latter's homosexuality he has recently observed with his adjutant, over his head.His opportunity to win the Iron Cross 'dishonestly' presents itself in a Russian attack at his headquarters - only he squirms down below in the subterranean mire, whereas Steiner, the platoon and an equally respected Lieutenant Miers take on the Russkies head-on. Miers is killed fighting bravely, Steiner is injured and goes on leave, having it off with a nice bit of skirt (Senta Berger as Eva, his nurse) and then there's the evaluation of the attack - Stransky puts his name down somewhere for the Iron Cross and put upon Trebig is called as his witness, surprise, surprise, never mind he's boasted about winning it in the first few words he uttered to the upper echelons. Steiner returns, and swears blind to the inquiry into 'who lead the attack, Stransky or Miers' that the latter lead the fighting and Stransky was nowhere to be seen. Steiner is needed as a second witness for Stransky, the latter even asks Steiner for this! Colonel Brandt again leans on Trebig to tell the truth but he can't even wobble slightly with Stransky threatening to reveal his homosexuality.The platoon acquires a new Gestapo soldier, he's warned by Steiner he's not a popular man in spying on them - and that he'll get a bayonet up his ass if he even sneezes the wrong way. The platoon is sent out and encounters severe fighting that is vicious as the Russian Front was. Even a scrape with some Russian women leaves a couple of them killed, the green and innocent new private Dietz gets his as does the Gestapo man - in a not very nice way, it has to be said. But they still have to manage to get back to their lines. Stransky is beside himself in not being nominated for his Iron Cross as he feels he can't go back to his upper-class family in disgrace without one.In the meantime,Steiner's platoon is as cut off somewhere and are struggling to get back to own their own lines. An order from Brandt is put out, to all units to break off and get back. Stransky deliberately sees to it that Steiner's platoon don't get the message but in any case, Steiner and Co. manage to get back to their own lines, using the approved code on the radio, to take his men in. Of course, Stransky gets wind of all this first and decides it could be a fake - that's his explanation anyway! He orders his men to open fire on Steiner and his platoon even when they wave their hands and blurt out the password/code wildly. Only three of the original platoon make it back including Steiner, who sees Trebig in the trench. (Trebig by now even states to himself 'my passage home' - some attempt to show he isn't totally lead by Stransky). Trebig wails that it wasn't his doing and it's Stransky all along. Steiner just lets rip on Trebig with his machine gun in typical Peckinpah fashion, letting him know his little fable cuts no ice.Steiner catches up with Stransky, telling him Trebig is dead, Stransky retorts that Trebig wasn't under his command for a long time - then the two go head-to-head in some sort of duel into the Russian Melee as a challenge. This near-last scene has Brandt leading a charge and Steiner and Stransky going off to fight. Stransky hasn't a clue how to reload his machine gun and Steiner just laughs his head off in the ending scene, showing an explosion by a railway carriage as we are lead to believe the two of them have been killed. An interestingly-filmed British-German production, with Peckinpah's blood and guts approach and set-pieces giving him rein to exploit it to its maximum potential. It must be said, the film was a hit in the then West Germany. But you can see why. It shows it mainly from their perspective. A product of anti-war feeling from Germans, on the Russian Front is this debatable? They even take in a young Russian boy-soldier as some sort of 'chum' after Stransky previously ordered him to be shot, as was the norm in Russia at the hands of the German Nazi ideology. As also, they meet some Russian women and some humanity is shown from the platoon, with scant reference to rape, scorned upon by Steiner - this is not mostly truthful to German soldiers of the period. I'm not saying they couldn't show any humanity, but it looks as if it's promoted and wasn't typical of the war on the Russian Front. Steiner as an anti-war but courageous soldier at odds with a king-s**t officer Stransky is well-played and the latter's deceit for his own ends perhaps warranted him getting killed more violently. The action is well-handled and typical as I have said of Peckinpah, but this remains one of the best and memorable war films we all grew up with before Saving Private Ryan.