Much too much weight for a 97-minute film to bear.
Unknown Soldier (2006)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:10
Fresh:6
Rotten:4
Average Rating:6.1/10
Theatrical Release:Sep 7, 2007 Limited
Synopsis: The Wehrmacht-Exhibition, which was shown in eleven major cities in Germany between 1999 and 2004 and was visited by more than 500,000 attendants, challenged ordinary Germans to rethink what their... The Wehrmacht-Exhibition, which was shown in eleven major cities in Germany between 1999 and 2004 and was visited by more than 500,000 attendants, challenged ordinary Germans to rethink what their fathers and grandfathers did during the war. Whereas most had been led to believe that the cold-blooded murder of civilians had been a crime of a minority of officers, for the first time Germans saw photos and footage of ordinary soldiers gleefully tormenting and executing civilians on the Eastern front. The nation was shaken, and large protests were organized by those who believed the evidence was manufactured. In THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER, director Michael Verhoeven (The Nasty Girl) interviews historians and experts, including those who allege or deny the crimes, and filmed in the killing fields of Ukraine and White Russia. --© First Run Features [More]
Director: Michael Verhoeven
Director: Michael Verhoeven
Producer: Michael Verhoeven
Composer: Martin Grubinger & Art Percussion, Mike Herting
Studio: First Run Features
Get This Movie
Reviews for Unknown Soldier
German director Michael Verhoeven returns to his country's Nazi past with this searing documentary about the aftershocks of a controversial museum exhibition that rattled the conscience of a nation.
It is a painful but important subject, to be certain, but the film dilutes its own effectiveness by devolving into a collection of talking heads who often seem to be repeating each other.
Structurally, the film itself is a pristine example of levelheaded journalism.
As Verhoeven's film makes clear, many thousands of surviving German veterans, along with a disturbing quotient of their children and grandchildren, are much too eager to make excuses.
Once the film gets mired in specifics, it begins to seem like any other Holocaust documentary and loses the sense of relevance and engagement with the now that at first makes it so intriguing.
Is such footage appropriate to the big-screen environment of the cinema?
Another apt title for Michael Verhoeven's new film could be It's All True.
The film eventually becomes one long therapy session for the German nation as it struggles to understand how its brave and good soldiers could have done such bad, bad things.
Even if you've watched archival evidence of the Holocaust before, anyone with a soul and a functioning conscience intact ought to brace yourself to be sickened afresh by this nauseating, if necessary, reminder of man's inhumanity to man. Never again!
Latest News for Unknown Soldier
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 49% 49% | Taking Woodstock |
| 26% 26% | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard |
| 47% 47% | The Girl From Monaco |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- Unknown Soldier at Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh Links
Featured

Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.

What were your favorites? Least favorites? The funniest and scariest? Moviefone wants to know!

Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic



