Hart's War (2002)

American soldiers held in a German POW camp in late 1944, desperate to make a difference in winning the war find their effort more difficult because some of them hate other American troops more than they hate the Germans.

Lt. Thomas Hart (Colin Farrell) has headquarters duty in Belgium because he is the son of a US Senator. That changes when Germans, disguised as American soldiers, ambush and capture him.

Upon his arrival at the POW camp, he is questioned by Col. William McNamara (Bruce Willis), the ranking American officer. We sense immediately that the colonel believes that Hart gave up information when interrogated by the Germans. He assigns Hart to the enlisted men's barracks, indicating his mistrust. When it appears that Hart is starting to fit in with Sgt. Bedford (Cole Hauser), the man in charge there and a deal maker with the German guards, operating a brisk trade for cigarettes and new boots, along come two black pilots downed by the Germans. Tuskegee Airmen, members of the 99th Fighter Squadron, these black officers upset things when they are also assigned to the same barracks as Hart. The presence of Lt. Archer (Vicellous Shannon) and Lt. Scott (Terrence Howard) challenges the authority of the white enlisted men in the segregated Army of 1944.

Lt. Hart is assigned to defend Scott and as he begins his legal discovery, Hart learns something that can free his defendant. However, the disclosure would arguably cause a greater harm than Lt. Scott being executed if found guilty. The soldiers never forget that they are in a war. The climax of the film looks at what being a patriot means in the sense of "the greater good." Lt. Scott, Lt. Hart and Col. McNamara each have a chance to become a hero.

Source: George O. Singleton | 2002 | reelmoviecritic.com
Poster: mov99.com