This is a terrific film, albeit a bleak one, overall. The tone is set by the landscape and the cinematography, yet this windswept coastline and the farmland make for eerily beautiful scenery.
Anyone who has ever completed recruit training will well understand the awesome authority an NCO wields. And in this case, the NCO definitely isn't on the same side as his 'recruits'.
Carl, the Sergeant ('Feldwebel') wears British Army uniform that clearly marks him as someone who fought during the war with a parachute regiment. He has some anger management issues too.
He's not someone to be messed with, in other words. And he's pretty handy with his fists, just in case the message was too subtle.
Yet Carl's basic humanity shines through by the end of the film. As for the rest of the cast, all the characters are sympathetic and played for maximum intensity and realism.
Much like the mines their characters are defusing, there's not a dud among them.
Anyone who has ever completed recruit training will well understand the awesome authority an NCO wields. And in this case, the NCO definitely isn't on the same side as his 'recruits'.
Carl, the Sergeant ('Feldwebel') wears British Army uniform that clearly marks him as someone who fought during the war with a parachute regiment. He has some anger management issues too.
He's not someone to be messed with, in other words. And he's pretty handy with his fists, just in case the message was too subtle.
Yet Carl's basic humanity shines through by the end of the film. As for the rest of the cast, all the characters are sympathetic and played for maximum intensity and realism.
Much like the mines their characters are defusing, there's not a dud among them.
