100 BEST WAR MOVIES #60. Cross of Iron (1977)

 

“Cross of Iron” is a war movie set on the Eastern Front in World War II. It is told from a German point of view. The action takes place in the Taman Peninsula in the Caucasus in 1943. The Germans are in the midst of their retreat from Stalingrad. The film was Sam Peckinpah’s last great feature and his only war movie. He supposedly was heavily drinking during the shoot. The movie is based on the novel The Willing Flesh by Willi Heinrich. The movie follows the book fairly closely. The movie was filmed on location in Yugoslavia with the cooperation of the Yugoslavian army. Because the production ran out of money, the ending had to be improvised. The release met with mixed reviews and it did not do well at the box office. It’s reputation has been rising over the years, however.

                The opening credits roll over German war footage with a German children’s song in the background. Corporal Steiner (James Coburn) and his squad sneak up on a Russian mortar post and kill their opponents in the slow motion typical of a Peckinpah film. Within the first two minutes there are three brutal deaths. They capture a Russian boy and bring him back. Capt. Stransky (Maximilian Schell) arrives to take command of the battalion and meets with Gen. Brandt (James Mason) and Capt. Kiesel (David Warner). Stransky is an aristocratic Prussian who has requested a transfer from France specifically so he can win an Iron Cross. Brandt is disillusioned and points out that the German soldier is simply fighting for his life, not for medals. They recommend Stransky make use of Steiner. The cynical, embittered Keisel says “Steiner is a myth. Men like him are our last hope and in that sense he is truly a dangerous man.”  When Stransky meets Steiner, he is angered by Steiner’s lack of respect for his “superior” (in rank and social status) officer. Steiner simply tolerates Stransky as the latest in a long line of clueless officers. The first epic battle scene is filled with frantic combat. There are slow motion deaths and lots of explosions. There is hand-to-hand combat and Steiner is wounded. He ends up in a hospital which results in some surreal scenes as he hallucinates and sees old comrades. He has an affair with a nurse (Senta Berger). When Steiner is recovered enough (in his opinion), he abandons the nurse in favor of a return to his unit (cliché alert).  In war movies, it’s always bros before hos. Even if the woman is Senta Berger and Steiner hates the war. He returns to his platoon (which is the size of a squad). When the Germans are ordered to fall back (I wonder if Adolf knew about that), Stransky purposely does not give Steiner the word. Steiner and his men will have to make it through the Soviet rear and then no man’s land to reach their line.

ACTING:                      A

ACTION:                      A  8/10

ACCURACY:               N/A

PLOT:                          A

REALISM:                   A

CINEMATOGRAPHY:    B

SCORE:                       average

BEST SCENE:  the tank attack

 

BEST QUOTE:  Brandt:  What will we do when we lose the war.  Kessel:  Prepare for the next one.

ACCURACY: Willi Heinrich was a veteran of the Eastern Front and was wounded five times so he knew of which he wrote. The book is probably partly autobiographical. It is also claimed the book is based on the experiences of the decorated soldier Johannsch Werdfeger who won two Iron Crosses.

             The movie does not claim to be a true story. The battles are generic and represent typical battles during the Taman Peninsula campaign. The fighting is realistic in a Hollywood sort of way. Peckinpah does stage chaos well. The sets are appropriately decimated. The deaths appropriately random.

              The movie is helped in its realism by the authentic weapons. The Russian tanks are T34/85’s on loan from the Yugoslavian Army. I won’t quibble with the fact that that particular model was not in use in 1943. The small arms are accurate. One flaw is the use of F4U Corsairs to represent Russian fighter-bombers. Gull wings – did they think we would not notice?

               The small unit dynamics of the squad, especially in the bunker scenes ring true. The soldier banter is realistic. The comradery is what you expect for a squad that had gone through all they went through. The attitudes of the enlisted and the officers in the German army circa 1943 are well displayed. The cynicism and defeatism is apparent.

CRITIQUE: “Cross of Iron” is a special movie. There is no other war movie quite like it. It has the Peckinpah touch throughout – the trademark slow motion violence, the iconoclastic anti-hero, the lack of respect for authority. An American war movie concentrating on Germans on the Eastern Front is unique. And because it is the Eastern Front, we get a scene involving female Soviet soldiers. And it’s a great scene that ends with the only Nazi in the platoon getting what he deserves.

            The movie is certainly action-packed with lots of explosions. The sound effects are outstanding. It is a great combat movie and has several combat scenes that are among the best filmed. The tank scene stands out because they are real WWII tanks (thanks, Yugoslavian army). The one thing that slightly takes away from the action are the scene-chewing deaths. The stunt men do a great job, but they tend to fly in the air with their arms up when an explosion occurs nearby.  The movie is not all combat, although there is more than 90% of war movies. In between combat, it  does have its exposition parts (which are necessary to develop the conflict between Steiner and Stransky and to explain Brandt’s role in the triangle), but the movie is definitely not wordy. Each of the main characters get some choice lines and Steiner sometimes sounds like a philosopher.  A very cynical philosopher. One of the expository scenes (which is intercut with a birthday party in the bunker) is a cringey scene involving Stransky and his gay executive officer. It does reflect the 1970’s, but is offensive today.

               The movie is an excellent depiction of small unit warfare and life. The bunker is nicely authentic looking. The movie checks off some of the common features of life in a bunker. Lice, smells, mud, diarrhea, dysfunction. It also gives a taste of command. Brandt is a sympathetic soldiers-general and Keisel represents another type – the cynical staff officer. Stransky is yet another type – martinet glory hound. Steiner portrays the hardened NCO who cares more for the survival of his men than the “big picture.” The movie is refreshingly free of the stereotyped evil Nazis. Stransky is not a Nazi – he is an aristocrat who is fighting for his family honor, not Hitler. Steiner’s men have some character development. You know them well by the end of the movie, which makes the trip through no man’s land sorrowful.

               The acting is outstanding. Coburn deserved an Academy Award nomination and has one of his best performances. He is perfect as Steiner. His body language alone is masterful. He is ably supported by Mason, Warner, and Schell. I especially enjoyed Warner’s cynical Keisel. He is riveting whenever he appears. Schell is appropriately loathsome. The unknown actors who make up the squad also do a good job.

CONCLUSION: If you want a war movie that is adrenalin-fueled and well-acted, try “Cross of Iron”. It is not subtle, but it is not one-dimensional either. It is a must-see movie for war movie fans. The only thing that keeps it from being outstanding is one of the worst endings of any major war movie. Steiner’s actions at the end are completely out of character. Peckinpah really blew it.