It might have been born a video game, but in the filmed adaptation of Company of Heroes, audiences will find a hearty, entertaining War
picture with shades of all the big ones, including The Dirty Dozen, Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, and Inglourious Basterds. This is a flawed but nevertheless fun and thrilling
Adventure film
that's certainly not as polished as some of its contemporaries; it just doesn't have the budget, and it shows. Yet there's a lot to like, particularly
from a War movie fan's perspective. It's straightforward and action-packed,
faultlessly intermixing big action scenes with honest drama, good character development, and a hint of humor. It doesn't redefine the War film or
even
approach the genre's best in overall performance, but it's a steady, serviceable, highly entertaining Adventure film that blends together
classic tones with slick filmmaking techniques. It's probably best enjoyed by its niche audiences, video gamers and viewers who have absorbed the
World War II genre for
decades and are always on the lookout for a new, worthwhile film to enjoy. Company of Heroes will satisfy that craving, and then some.
Got him.
By Christmas of 1944, Allied soldiers believed the War to be all but over even as they met with deadly but only sporadic and light resistance.
D-Day had proven a success and Germany was being squeezed back into Central Europe from both the East and the West. Yet Hitler wasn't quite
ready to give up the war effort. He planned a final, major offensive to recapture the Port of Antwerp, an offensive that would result in the frigid
Battle of the
Bulge. He didn't do so hopelessly, however; his plan to prolong the war was merely a ruse to buy time to develop a devastating game-changer.
When a group of soldiers -- including a rookie marksman (Chad Michael Collins) and a grizzled veteran (Tom Sizemore) -- are sent on a
supposedly easy holiday mission by their commanding officer (Neal McDonough), they come under heavy fire but manage to repel the enemy attack.
Soon after,
they make a startling discovery: the Germans are working on a super weapon that could very well turn the tide of war in their favor. Against the
odds -- and their better judgment -- the men embark on a mission deep behind enemy lines to prevent the Nazis from completing work on their
doomsday weapon and bringing the war to American soil.
Company of Heroes does well to balance its approach to the War genre in that it doesn't glorify violence but it also doesn't make it
impossible
to stomach. It's an approach that combines an authentic façade with a sense of gung-ho adventure and plenty of well-staged gun battles that come
frequently
but not excessively. The film is quite bloody -- there are plenty of serious wounds and several gut-churning acts of wartime casualties -- but
Company of Heroes retains that sense of sweeping, good time escapism that uses war as a backdrop for cinema fun rather than strict
history
lesson. There's a good intensity to action scenes; the film makes use of the handheld shaky cam and slightly faster and grittier photography to give
it a
Saving
Private Ryan-styled visual appeal that's become the de facto standard, but at the same time it doesn't lose its classic appeal as a simple wartime
Action flick. Company of Heroes doesn't dazzle its way through, nor does it drive home a sense of hopelessness or despair covered in
harsh
grit. Instead, it's a fun, fast-paced adventure through the final days of war, made from a plot that combines some novel and fictional elements both
with
tried-and-true War
film
settings and styles.
Beyond its capabilities as an entertaining Action flick, Company of Heroes largely masters the subtleties of Action movie character
development and drama. There's a fine cast camaraderie, shaped in part by a good script but also good performances. Genre veteran Tom Sizemore
brings not just experience behind the trigger and within the wartime setting but a commanding screen presence that grounds the movie both in its
most intense action and quality dramatic moments both. Chad Michael Collins is fantastic as the prototypical kid who's forced to mature beyond his
years under fire. The film does suffer under the burden of a largely unremarkable villain who
exemplifies the stereotypical mad Nazi sort that's all about the superficial and without a hint of development beyond "evil." Then again, there are
reasons why that's a stereotype and why it's dramatically effective: it makes for a simple yet dangerous and absolutely unlikable foil for the heroes.
That doesn't always work anymore considering the massive caricature that sort has become, but Company of Heroes' ability to mesh
hardcore action
with a subtly playful underbelly makes it more entertainment than a strict historical recreation and a suitable home for a one-dimensional villain.
The film also makes use of some
lower-end digital effects -- phony-looking muzzle blasts and explosions and smoke and a bombing run sequence near the end that makes use
of a digital fleet of aircraft -- that occasionally interrupt the flow of the film with a startling lack of polish amidst an otherwise very nice-looking and
authentically crafted film. Altogether, Company of
Heroes makes for an exciting, well-balanced watch that should satisfy its core audience from start to finish, warts and all.
Company of Heroes arrives on Blu-ray with a polished and professional HD video-sourced transfer. The image sparkles, generally, even through
its various locations and color schemes. Whether the snowy first act, the darker second, or the dusty daytime third, the film handles all elements
beautifully. The video is consistently clear and sharp, naturally on the smooth side but very well defined and at times breathtaking in its ability to display
complex textures even in medium-distance shots. Close-ups are where this one sparkles, however. Worn bluing and well-used wooden stocks on
weapons, frayed and filthy uniforms, leathery creases in German overcoats, blown-out wartime city textures, and complex facial features that reveal
grime, blood, sweat, and pores are all displayed very well in every scene and under any lighting condition. Colors are handled very well; the palette is
accurate and pleasing, finding a natural tone and never straying towards harsh and bright or dull and worn. Black levels are fine, though dotted by some
noise in a few instances. Flesh tones appear normal. This is another top-grade transfer from Sony.
Company of Heroes features an active and exhilarating DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. from the first notes, listeners will notice a
wide and natural sonic landscape. Music proves consistently clear and plays with a satisfying, full presence through the entire range and with a natural
surround envelopment. Whether the opening notes or an operatic display of sonic muscle in chapter ten, this disc delivers a potent, well-structured
listen. Natural ambience is fantastic; an early scene features light gusty winds, creaking trees, and the song of distant birds naturally filling the stage
and placing listeners in the middle of the snowy battlefield. Then, the moment is broken by a shot. Gunfire sounds fantastic throughout the film.
Whether single sniper shots that power through the stage with a distinctive crack and linger about afterwards or heavy automatic weapons fire that
tears through the listening area with startling ease and accuracy, Sony's track places its listening audience in the middle of every action scene.
Explosions deliver plenty of power via balanced, hefty bass, some of them the product of artillery shells that seamlessly zip around the entire listening
area. Rounded out by faultless, center-focused dialogue reproduction, Company of Heroes' lossless soundtrack delivers in every way.
Company of Heroes contains a deleted scenes and two brief making-of featurettes.
Deleted Scene (HD, 2:57): Kestrel and Squad Meet in Safe House.
In the Trenches: Filming Company of Heroes (HD, 10:28): Cast and crew discuss the pleasures in making a War film, the
differences between film and video games, making the transition from the video game to film, casting actors from iconic War pictures, filming in extreme
conditions, making the Action scenes, Director Don Michael Paul's work behind the camera, the picture's visual evolution, set and prop design, and more.
Fabricating World War II (HD, 5:41): A short look at how the filmmakers recreated an authentic era look, including weapons, wardrobe,
and vehicles.
Company of Heroes isn't a perfect War movie, and doesn't really inject anything new into the genre. What it is, though, is a good old-fashioned
War film in the tradition of The Dirty Dozen, a steady and
entertaining flick that blends modern stylings with a throwback entertainment value
that makes for an agreeable viewing experience. The film is aided by good
characters and performances and hindered by a generic villain and low-end special effects, but most War film fans should get quite a bit mileage out of it.
All
in all, a fun and exhilarating little picture that will satisfy its target audience. Sony's Blu-ray release of Company of Heroes is disappointingly thin
on extras, but the disc does offer fantastic picture and sound. Recommended.
The UK branch of Sony Pictures has announced and detailed its upcoming Blu-ray release of director Don Michael Paul's Company of Heroes, starring Vinnie Jones, Tom Sizemore, Jürgen Prochnow, and Neal McDonough. Street date is March 25.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced that it will release on Blu-ray director Don Michael Paul's Company of Heroes, starring Vinnie Jones, Tom Sizemore, Jürgen Prochnow, and Neal McDonough. Street date is March 19th.
