Colibel Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Neive Bellamy Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

grantss The Battle Of The Bulge, December 1944. The US 101st Airborne Division are holding the strategically vital town of Bastogne against overwhelming odds. We follow a squad of soldiers of the 101st as they battle the Germans, the elements and lack of supplies, equipment and ammunition. Superb WW2 drama. Very gritty and realistic - no gung ho heroics, no Hollywoodisms. Quite novel for its time in that most movies were still very much in WW2 propaganda mode. Great work by Van Johnson in the lead role. Good supporting performances. James Whitmore got a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his efforts.

jiml-40678 This was the only WWII movie my father ever said he liked. He didn't watch many or say much about the war but he went out of his way to say that this movie was accurate and on point regarding the interaction between the characters. He died prior to the release of "Saving Private Ryan". 45th Infantry Division.

DKosty123 When I was a kid this Van Johnson film was a staple of the late show movies. I remember seeing it then and even when I see it now, I am impressed with it. This one has the feel of really being near Bostogne in 1944. I think what helps it is that it was made only 5 years after the war. You get the feeling that the film crew has a bunch of vets in it and they are busy behind the scenes making it feel like the real battle.In addition to Van Johnson in one of his better roles, we have James Whitmore and Ricardo Montoban in support. All the actors seem to be perfectly cast in this one. The main weakness in it is in the late scenes where things fall into place a little too perfectly to get to the happy ended. Up until that, the film feels like a real war.Still, the marching sequence at the end of the movie is so good that it is copied in technique several times in later combat films. This one is one of the better ones and if your too young to be in the greatest generation, this is as close as you can now get to feeling what the war in Europe in WW2 was really like.

wes-connors In the waning months of World War II, a group of war-weary American soldiers fight off The Third Reich's second wind. "Battleground" suffered from a lot of backstage studio machinations, but rose to become one of the most critical and popular success stories of the era. It starts with a fine script from Robert Pirosh, who manages to make the otherwise stereotypical characters human. Drawing on his own experiences, Mr. Pirosh is able to covey the soldiers' reluctance, determination, love and sacrifice. The fighting men seem theatrical, but real. And, war veterans William Wellman (director) and Paul Vogel (cinematographer) know how to put over Pirosh's thesis. Their final argument is superfluous, but does not undermine anything - the trip was necessary, as was entering this war.********* Battleground (11/9/49) William A. Wellman ~ Van Johnson, John Hodiak, James Whitmore, Marshall Thompson