Cross Of Iron
Set in 1943, this explosive epic centers on Corporal Steiner (James Coburn), an accomplished but war-weary combat veteran leading a group of German soldiers on the Russian Front.
Member Reviews
Great Peckinpah - Steenbeckchigur
Peckinpah once again creates a poetic dissection of violence and the people who cause it. Although not as "epic" in scale as his previous films, and unfortunately not as well remembered, Cross of Iron still manages to achieve everything a good Peckinpah movie is supposed to. It is both unique, tragic and gritty-which is perfect for a World War II picture.On The Russian Front In 1943 - revsdd
A fine movie, made even more interesting by the fact that it's one of the few movies ("Das Boot" would be another example) that depicts the Second World War strictly from the German perspective, "Cross of Iron" is notable for the performances from a strong collection of actors, headlines by James Coburn as Sgt. Steiner. Steiner leads a German platoon at the Russian Front in 1943, a time when the Germans haven't yet lost the war, but they're definitely on the road to defeat. Steiner is the winner of an Iron Cross, and he comes under the command of Capt. Stransky (another fine performance by Maximilian Schell), a Prussian officer so desperate to impress his family that he'll readily lie in order to return from the Front with his own Iron Cross. Steiner is a fascinating character; a bit of a loner, who holds his officers in contempt as well as "the stinking Party" and whose only real commitment seems to be to the platoon he leads. For Steiner, the romance of war (if it ever existed) has long since been shattered. Any idealistic view of why he's fighting is gone - he fights now simply "for survival." The movie seems a little bit disjointed at times, and, like many war movies, eventually the battle scenes start to seem like a bit too much of the same thing over and over again - which, of course, is probably why soldiers are able to persevere through war. Still, it's a fascinating look at the cynicism bred by war.Better to wait for the Widescreen version - john10
This is a very good movie indeed but this Pan & Scan DVD release does not begin to do it justice. It's not just P&S it's a very soft, washed out transfer. The widescreen version is reputed to be much higher quality and a few minutes longer to boot. I would recommend waiting until Zip offers the widescreen release.
Member Reviews
Read All...
Great Peckinpah - Steenbeckchigur
Peckinpah once again creates a poetic dissection of violence and the people who cause it. Although not as "epic" in scale as his previous films, and unfortunately not as well remembered, Cross of Iron still manages to achieve everything a good Peckinpah movie ...On The Russian Front In 1943 - revsdd
A fine movie, made even more interesting by the fact that it's one of the few movies ("Das Boot" would be another example) that depicts the Second World War strictly from the German perspective, "Cross of Iron" is notable for the performances from a strong ...Better to wait for the Widescreen version - john10
This is a very good movie indeed but this Pan & Scan DVD release does not begin to do it justice. It's not just P&S it's a very soft, washed out transfer. The widescreen version is reputed to be much higher quality and a few minutes longer to boot. I would ...