A Midnight Clear Review
A Midnight Clear
20th Anniversary Edition
Reviewed by David Savage
Starring: Peter Berg, Kevin Dillon, Ayre Gross, Ethan Hawke, Gary Sinise & Frank Whaley
Directed by: Keith Gordon
Certificate: 15
Running time: 104 minutes
Release date: 16th April 2012 (DVD & Blu-Ray)
A Midnight Clear is a story based on the novel by William Wharton. It is a classic war movie with an all-star cast.
Set in Europe on the French-German border in December 1944. Near the end of World War II 6 American soldiers from an intelligence unit are sent to an abandoned chateau to report on any enemy activity in the area. The soldiers are tired and battle weary and the stresses of war are starting to show.
One night some mischievous German soldiers start singing outside but cause them no trouble. They then come back another night and start a snowball fight. With both sets of soldiers reluctant to fight the Germans are prepared to be captured and the come up with a plan for this to happen which involves a fake battle so no problems are caused for their families back home.
Due to a misunderstanding it all goes horribly wrong with the loss of unnecessary lives.
With very strong and well-acted performances from the all-star cast. Despite being 20 years old it doesn’t have that feel and is very enjoyable. As it is not all-out action but more about peace and getting along and the stress of war this will appeal to everybody and not just war films buffs.
Also has a Special Feature 'A Winter's War' – a 50 minute documentary by director Keith Gordon.
Rating: 4/5
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