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Hart's War Play Trailer

Hart's War (2002)

tomatometer

60

Average Rating: 6/10
Reviews Counted: 121
Fresh: 72 | Rotten: 49

Well-made and solidly acted, Hart's War is modestly compelling. However, the movie suffers from having too many subplots.

51

Average Rating: 5.6/10
Critic Reviews: 35
Fresh: 18 | Rotten: 17

Well-made and solidly acted, Hart's War is modestly compelling. However, the movie suffers from having too many subplots.

audience

51

liked it
Average Rating: 3/5
User Ratings: 43,190

My Rating

Movie Info

Based on the novel by John Katzenbach, author of Just Cause (1995), this prison camp drama combines elements of A Soldier's Story (1984) and the classic Stalag 17 (1953). Colin Farrell stars as Lt. Tommy Hart, a second-year Harvard Law School student who enlists to fight in World War II but ends up being taken prisoner by the Germans. When a murder at the Nazi-run Stalag Luft 13 leaves a black Tuskegee airman named Lt. Lincoln Scott (Terrence Dashon Howard) accused of the crime, high-ranking

R,

Drama

Terry George, Billy Ray

Jul 9, 2002

$19.0M

MGM/UA - Official Site External Icon

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Hart's War Trailer & Photos

Critic Reviews for Hart's War

All Critics (127) | Top Critics (36) | Fresh (76) | Rotten (50) | DVD (26)

This earnest WWII escape story throws in a courtroom drama, but to nobody's advantage.

February 9, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Reaches for more than it can handle, but it's well-acted and earnest in its intentions.

November 6, 2002 Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Proves a servicable World War II drama that can't totally hide its contrivances, but it at least calls attention to a problem Hollywood too long has ignored.

August 9, 2002
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News
Top Critic IconTop Critic

An exciting, thoughtful and adrenaline-pumping war picture that is provocative and different.

March 13, 2002
Rex Reed
New York Observer
Top Critic IconTop Critic

We're situated in that familiar showbiz intersection of Hollywood and Rhine.

February 24, 2002 Full Review Source: New York Magazine
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine
Top Critic IconTop Critic

...it's not your typical war movie but I'm giving it thumbs down because I think its attempts to be different were quite frankly kind of ludicrous.

February 19, 2002 Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Big WWII drama about honor, courage and sacrifice.

December 24, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media

Nationality, race and politics clash in unexpected ways in this well-directed and acted but extremely old-fashioned prison drama that recalls genre film sof the 1950s and 1960s.

October 30, 2006 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

In the ever-increasing onslaught of war movies, it stands head and shoulders above most of the competition.

May 26, 2006 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

'Hart's War' is a perfect example of a film that remains anchored in mediocrity from beginning to end. It plods along like a chronic asthmatic, meandering to a conclusion that's both irritating and implausible.

February 13, 2003 Full Review Source: RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)
Tom Grealis
RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) Source: RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)

...Suitably gritty and intense...

February 8, 2003 Full Review Source: Film Quips Online
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online

It's hard to know whether or not to recommend this film because for every thing it does right there's at least one and occasionally two things it gets ever so wrong.

December 8, 2002 Full Review Source: Film Threat
Chris Barsanti
Film Threat

Engaging thriller combines military movie genres and succeeds as more than the sum of its well-oiled parts.

November 7, 2002 Full Review Source: Netflix
James Rocchi
Netflix

Paint-by-numbers claptrap.

October 21, 2002 Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan

As old-fashioned as it can get, a throwback to cinema's Golden Age and a tribute to the flawed, guilty human beings we call heroes.

October 15, 2002 Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer
View all critic reviews (127)

Audience Reviews for Hart's War

View All
Hart's War is a very interesting and intriguing Thriller set during the Second World in a POW camp. Hart's War may not be a perfect film, but it dies manage to keep you entertained throughout. Helmed by director Gregory Hoblit, who is a very underrated and talented director, Hart's War is a well acted film with a good enough story. Many reviewers complain that it's a courtroom drama, well no shit, it is in a way. Theres nothing wrong with that, and I found the second half of this film to be quite good. Obviously Hart's War is not a perfect film, theres way too many flaws to count, but the way I see it, is it's an entertaining dramatic thriller with typical Hollywood elements to make the film more appealing to a wider audience. This film is not meant to be realistic in any way, it's just pure entertainment. Simple as that. The film boasts a decent cast of actors, and along with Phone Booth, this is Colin Farrell's best film, I'm not really a fan of his work, but in these two films he's very good. Overall, Hart's War is a pretty good dramatic Thriller, it may try to be too dramatic at times, but it's still a pretty good film worth watching. One of more interesting aspects of this film the numerous twists that unfold throughout, I found them quite thrilling, and you never get an idea of what really is going on till the very end. Before dismissing this film, give it a shot; for me it's a strong 6 out of 10. The actors playing the characters are well suited and just with the idea in mind that a "law student is assigned to defend a black prisoner accused of murder" should give the potential viewer a heads up that this will venture into courtroom drama territory. It's not the best film setting, granted, but it's certainly not the worst. A good enough film to watch on a rainy day.
October 20, 2010
TheDudeLebowski65
Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski

Super Reviewer

I really don't know, where to place 'Hart's War'. The film starts as a normal POW (prisoner of war) movie, but when the second half begins, it turns into a courtroom drama.

Gregory Hoblit, the director of 'Hart's War', has had somewhat of a rollercoaster type of career. After a good movie, he gives us a poor one. He started his feature film career with the excellent 'Primal Fear', then came 'Fallen'. After these came ''Frequency', 'Hart's War', 'Fracture' and then 'Untraceable'. See what I mean? Almost came queasy...

'Hart's War' does have some good scenes but in overall, the film is very uneven. The characters have almost zero depth in 'em. The film also tries to deal with racism but the whole issue was in the end buried beneath the screenwriters unimaginative end twist.

Colin Farrell and Marcel Lures give nice performances but the rest of the cast seem to enjoy a nice holiday in a POW camp type of holiday resort. If I were a POW, I'd like to spend some time in a camp where the prisoners have their own theatre and leisure rooms. Pretty far fetched?

'Hart's War', you'll love it or hate it. Or get bored as I did. For fans of Farrell and Willis only. Those who seek for something better, try a classic like 'Stalag 17'.
January 5, 2008
TheMachinist
Jani H

Super Reviewer

Hart's War Quotes

View All
    1. Col. Werner Visser: Look around you.....this is not Geneva.
    – Submitted by Pattie C (13 months ago)
    1. Col. William McNamara: If we dual, we both lose.
    – Submitted by Kevin M (20 months ago)

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