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

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Western Europe, 1945. The gentle, thoughtful, and sensitive Losey (a fine and affecting performance by Ryan Francis) and the mean, base, and savage Deming (superbly essayed with frightening animal intensity and ferocity by Scott McDonald) are two radically contrasting American soldiers who desert their platoons during the final days of World War II. The pair stumble across a ragtag band of orphans who have been trained as ruthless killing machines. The soldiers, the orphans, and the two adults who take care of the children are forced to make a desperate stand against a Nazi tank battalion who have them trapped inside an old crumbling building.Writer/director Jeff Burr brings a stark, fierce, and gritty sensibility to the hard-hitting story that eschews cheap sentiment and obvious macho heroics in favor of showing how war destroys human innocence and has a tragically devastating impact on the hapless children who find themselves caught in the middle of it. Moreover, Burr brings a potently surreal and dream-like visual style to the picture that offers moments of strikingly fragile and poetic beauty amid all the ugly violence and unflinching brutality. Veteran character actor David Warner has one of his best roles of his whole career as Deacan, the crusty and protective surrogate father of the orphans. Linda Thorson likewise excels as Maria, the scrappy mother figure to the kids. The children themselves are simply remarkable and unforgettable, with especially strong work from Nelu as a hearty legless boy and Liliana Perepelicinic as Anna, a sad and once beautiful girl who hides her scarred face behind a spooky featureless mask. Appearing in memorable bits are James LeGros as a no-nonsense sergeant, Daniel Roebuck as a panic-stricken wounded soldier, and Gabriel Spahiu as a rattled and unhinged priest our lead characters encounter while trekking across the desolate countryside. The big confrontation that takes up the last third of the movie is extremely tense, gripping, and exciting. In addition, it's genuinely shocking to see kids kill adults while behaving like it's all just a game and equally upsetting to see adults killing children (this film earns extra points for not pulling any punches). Viorel Sergovici's stunning cinematography gives the picture an effectively gloomy and grayish look. Michael Convertino's moody score also hits the brooding spot. An absolute powerhouse.

From Jeff Burr, the director of the chilling horror anthology, "From A Whisper To A Scream", comes this highly original, sometimes surreal genre hybrid that mixes horror, magic realism, and bloody war themes. Set at the end of WW2, two deserters (Ryan Francis and Scott MacDonald), both traversing very different roads to hell, are captured inside a fortress by a band of orphaned children who have been schooled in the ways of survival by the crusty David Warner. When German soldiers attempt to penetrate their home, the deserters overcome their cowardice by engaging the enemy in a brutal firefight and executing a plan to save the children. A simple synopsis does not convey the cinematic joys of this stylish, emotionally wrenching movie. Shot in Romania and directed with considerable skill by an American, it feels entirely European and shares similarities with the Russian war masterpiece, "Come and See". In terms of tone and visual presentation, I was also reminded of Michael Mann's flawed but atmospheric, "The Keep". The score and sound work are brilliant, as are all the performances. Burr cast real orphans -- some scarred, one without legs -- to play the on-screen orphans, a strategy that pays off in spades. The screenplay, which deftly explores identity and the concept of belonging, is spare and taut. Like the best movies and like life itself, "Straight Into Darkness" is not one thing; it is many.

I don't see how anyone could give this "gem" any good comments. Long, slow moving, drawn out storyline, barely visible plot, bad acting, absolutely pointless flashbacks/dream sequences. I could barely stand to watch the whole thing but I just had to see if ANYTHING would redeem this mess. The description on the CD case made it sound like a thriller on the edge of scary type of war movie. It wasn't sad, funny, scary or thrilling. It was just plain old boring. I haven't seen anything else by Jeff Burr but if this is the best he can do I'll avoid any of his other works like the plague! Save your money and rent something worthwhile, like Erasurehead.

World War II is waning, and two American soldiers Deming(Scott MacDonald)and Losey(Ryan Francis)desert from their fighting in France. They are soon captured and on the way to their court-martial, they survive a surprise attack and crawl through a mine field to safety. They brave the rugged winter and become confused to their location. Upon finding an empty building, the two are aided by some orphaned children that seem to have some rather strange fighting techniques and their teachers as Nazi soldiers try to surround them. Flashbacks and hallucinations muddle the story. Some of the war scenes are gruesome, but still this film gets old quick. Supporting cast includes: Linda Thorson, David Warner and Liliana Perepelicinic.