Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Peereddi I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

John T. Ryan ALL OF THIS recent attention about the Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl exchange for five (5) top Al Queda mastermind murderer/terrorists has brought this story from World War II about Private Eddie Slovik. He is the only member of U.S. Armed Forces to have been executed for desertion since the Civil War.THE STORY WAS brought to the screen by Universal Television and the NBC TV Network in 1974, March 13th, to be exact. We well remember that this TV movie was heavily promoted and being treated as a very special event. This is one time that the ballyhoo boys were correct., absolutely.THE STORY DOES a great job in explaining the situation. Private Eddie Slovik was an experienced and battle tested combat veteran. He became separated from his outfit; which afforded him a sort of respite from the life of battle.WHEN HE FINALLY is to be reunited with his Company, he refuses to do so; opting instead for incarceration in the Guardhouse. Lengthy efforts were made to the young soldier in order to get him to change his mind. His obstinacy leads him to finally being executed by firing squad.METICULOUS STORYTELLING IS employed in order to get the story behind all of this incredible, but true, story. We get a glimpse of the man as a boy, who had a difficult childhood. He married young and soon after his former Draft Classification of 4-F was changed to 1-A and he was inducted into the Army.BEAUTIFULLY AND MOST realistically mounted, the production has a great and most authentic appearance. It literally transports us to 1944 Europe, France to be exact, with a World War yet to be won or lost. The cast, headed up by Martin Sheen, is outstanding. In support, we have Mariclaire Costello, Gary Busey, Matt Clark, Ben Hammer, Warren J. Kemmerling, Charles Haid and many others. Ned Beatty stands out as Chaplin, Father Stafford.THE INHERENT DRAMATIC intensity of the story hits a tearful crescendo as Private Slovik (Mr. Sheen) continually repeats the Hail Mary; while he prepares to meet the Firing Squad. it is as emotionally charged as any scene in any film, even a theatrical production. (This could have done well as a Feature Film to be shown in the Movie Houses.) IT WAS WELL received and heavily honored at the Emmy Awards. The sympathy was clearly with the hapless Private Slovik from the very start, or even before the start; as the promotional material poses the question, "Was it Cowardice or Conscience?"IN PLAYING THE role of 'Devil's Advocate', we must ask the following question. It concerns the man who is implicitly rendered as being the bad guy in this affair. That is Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General Dwight D. Eisenhower. One must consider the circumstances of War. With thousands of men being killed and seriously wounded all the time, the execution of one deserter wouldn't rate very highly.

thebigsmokey There were three issues that made this movie worth the time and money to watch:1) A cowardly deserter who was afforded a chance to rehab himself was tried, sentenced and executed 2) The leftists that developed the story line did get the name of the 28th ID Provost Marshal correct for the period 3) One of the vehicles depicted was a 28th Division, 28th Military Police Platoon vehicle and it was properly marked.I believe that this is the first of Martin Sheen's anti-military movies but certainly wasn't his last.At the time when this country was locked in a war that very well could have been lost, a service member chose to REPEATEDLY desert and promised to do so again. He was tried, convicted and the sentence was death. All of that superfluous bull hockey about being 4F and a "troubled youth" does not come into play. WE WERE AT WAR./s/ A lifelong soldier, combat veteran and former Provost Marshal, 28th Infantry Division

dani2472004 I've never seen the movie, but have such a strong desire to. I'm hoping it'll come out on DVD soon, or that I'll find it on VHS in some consignment shop if I'm lucky. But here's my opinion on his story (not regarding the movie in particular) -- IF it's true that the only way he got to the front lines in the first place was that he cheated, then really, this all falls back on his master chief/commanding officers. THEY were the ones who put him in the awkward position. Granted, he did ask to be placed elsewhere and was denied. But how many people do you think are "emotionally prepared" for war? How many can honestly say they will not be horrified by the things they see? No one can. Eddie Slovik was no different. The only difference between him and the 300,000 American men that died in World War II is that he ran away, and they stood. And fought. And died. Died for freedom, died for the destruction of the Nazi party, died for the eroding of the heartless genocide and for the protection of the United States from those who tried to harm us. Yes, it was wrong for them to make a spectacle out of him. They could have chosen someone who had deserted in more dire circumstances. But, by law, execution IS called for when desertion is committed. George Washington executed many deserters in his own army. Eisenhower was not the first president to oversee an execution, so he should not take the fall for this either. The blame, whether you like it or not, falls on Eddie Slovik and his commanding officers.

Bryce Rumbles This has been one of my favorite films since it was first broadcast back in '74. I read William Bradford Huie's book, from which the film is based, and I also recommend it highly.This should be required viewing for anyone who claims to be a WWII buff, like myself. It helps you see some of the truth of military life that isn't in the purvue of such excellent works as Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, and that other "other side of the WWII Army" movie, Catch-22.Who do we have to harass to get this released on DVD??