Holy Christ, this movie was bleak. I mean I wasn't expecting kittens and rainbows but damn. I've seen a number of films depicting wars of all kinds. Modern, historical, narrative, documentary, they all vary and very few really capture what it is like to be in a combat zone. This film understands the deep and abiding paranoia and exhaustion that come from not ever knowing what is around the next corner. It is a drain on the mind and on the soul that saps the strength of even the bravest human beings.
Philippe Gerbier (Lino Ventura) is a former electrical engineer and member of the Resistance in Nazi-occupied France. His team try every method to harass their parasitic invaders while avoiding capture by the Gestapo. Whenever possible, they kill the enemy. Whenever necessary, they kill their own. It is a cold, dark time with death an ever-present specter.
It sounds so stupid to say that Nazis are bad. It's like saying water is wet. Everyone knows that Nazis were bad news and the Gestapo were fucking evil. It should not be a surprise. They're practically the only group of bad guys that no one gets offended if you mow them down. Yet, somehow, seeing the off-handed banality of their torture methods, like forcing condemned prisoners to run to the end of a firing range so it's a little more sporting for the machine gunner, still makes my blood run cold. That's probably a good sign. If I ever become inured to man's inhumanity to man I might as well just hang it all up.
I don't even know how to categorize this. I can't say I liked it, because I did not enjoy watching this film. But I didn't hate it. It's very well done, almost too well. I'm going to have to come up with a new tag.
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