Cross of Iron (1977)

This was Peckinpah's last important work and his only war movie.

War is hell, but for Peckinpah it's also the sadist's Olympian joke

Cross of Iron would almost seem a proper mea culpa by Peckinpah for his controversial career.

With this film, the legendary master of violent action Sam Peckinpah made his only (strict) war film. The story takes place along the Eastern Front of World War II in 1943, and follows a hardened, weary corporal (later sargeant) named Steiner who, besides battling Russian forces, gets into a battle of wills with Capt. Stransky- a member of the Prussian aristocracy who vows to win the coveted Iron Cross (the highest medal one in the Germany army can win)at all costs. So yeah, besides being a big war film, this deals with class conflict, cultural issues, and has typical Peckinpah themes such as masculinity, honor, and the corrupting influence of violence. It's some good stuff. The film had a pretty low budget, and the shoot was troubled, but all in all, this is a pretty decent and satisfying film. It is pretty obvious that the film's creating was plagued by torubles and limitations, especially in the end where it just seems really rushed, sloppy, and tacked on. I do dig the ending, but I can't help but imagine what the real end result could have been like had the film had a bigger budget. The casting is quite nice, with James Coburn (doing his best Lee Marvin) in the lead as Steiner, and Maximilian Schnell as the well to do Stransky. James Mason and David Warner also show up and do some stuff, although their story doesn't really go anywhere. Still though, everyone does a pretty decent job. The real highlight are the fantastic battle sequences. This should be a given since Peckinpah helmed it, but, even though he's topped what's in here by a great amount in his otehr works, the action is gritty, raw, and has everything you'd expect fromhim. I especially loved the neat silent scenes that show up once in a while . All in all, this is a pretty fine war film. It's somewhat messy and maybe slightly draggy, but it's entertaining, and gives you exactly the sort of gritty, bitter, and angry depiction of vioence and combat that Peckinpah is famous for.

Peckinpah is a nut. The thing about him is that he can orchestrate one hell of an action sequence. The war sequences in this film are fantastic and some of the most realistic I have seen in recent memory. The brutality of war and what it does not only to the body, but also to the mind are explored really well here. James Coburn gives a great performance, but there are moments that are a little over the top even for a war movie. I understand the controversy of it considering it is told from the point of view of the Nazi's and I am surprised this film hasn't been locked in a vault somewhere in this day and age, but it's a pretty straight forward war movie all the same. There are some strange moments that took me out of the film and I really didn't understand them (the ending is just plain weird). At the end of the day, the cast and the war scenes really save this movie because otherwise it's all over the place. Another Sam Peckinpah trademark.