Concerning spoilers, I will only describe one small part of a scene at the end of the movie, which does not give away any of the storyline whatsoever to help describe one of the many flaws with this movie.
The bad:
1) The explosions were unrealistic and often seemed to be computer generated.
When will SFX guys ever simply go out to a real military range and simply video record actual hand grenade explosions and HE rounds from tanks? As usual, the explosions are far greater than in real life, and each grenade and shell always hits their mark 100% of the time on the first shot. Really? Come on, guys...get with it!
2) Whoever their technical adviser was didn't know their job at all.
The uniforms, helmets, weapons and dog tags were wrong for the WWII era.
Example: the dog tags in the movie were the more recent variety, of a rectangular shape, and obviously made from aluminum.
Also, at the end of the movie, we see the Lt. put TWO dog tags on the cross of his former soldier. All soldiers were instructed to put ONE dog tag in their boot back then, which would have stayed with the body for identification purposes.
The M1A1 Thompson automatic machine gun depicted in this movie was a later variety not manufactured in sufficient quantities nor used in WWII in France. It wouldn't have made it to the European theater of operation in time to be utilized for this (fictional) military action.
The big giveaway is the charging handle on the M1A1 in this movie is on the right side of the weapon, whereas, on the earlier M1928A1 and the later version M1 it is on the top of the weapon above the receiver.
As for the uniforms, the American helmets were wrong, some of the patches and insignia were wrong, and even some of the German uniforms were wrong. Too numerous to specify individual scenes, but holy cow! Somebody didn't research those aspects properly or the budget was so ridiculously low that the technical adviser didn't know and didn't care to get it right.
Don't even get me started on Mickey Rourke's very long hair, funky straw hat and sunglasses NOT from that era. Suffice it to say it would never have happened, regardless of how big a hero and how many medals he had previously accumulated. Period.
3) The script - just plain AWFUL! Stiff, forced, unnatural dialog that would never have happened in real life. Come on, writers, you couldn't watch interviews on the History channel with actual WWII vets or what? As for the plot, it was a worn-out, tired retread of numerous other, far better movies such as The Dirty Dozen and Saints and Soldiers. The plot was completely lame, predictable and simply boring as hell to watch.
4) The acting - terrible! Nothing can really save you from a bad script, but the acting was also forced, giving the viewer a feeling of that awkward silence in between deliveries at times, and when the collective cast chime in on group cheers / jeers etc., it seems all too well rehearsed and off the mark.
5) The action scenes - far too few; too much talking and not enough action. It doesn't always have to be about bombs and bullets, but for Pete's sake, give us something to keep us from falling to sleep.
The Good:
There was nothing good nor redeeming about this movie. It is a complete waste of time, and is painful to watch. You literally couldn't even pay me to watch it again, ever. Not for any amount of money.
Your time is better served watching Band of Brothers, Saving Private Ryan, Saints and Soldiers (any of them), Big Red One or The Dirty Dozen. You will at least be satisfied with professional screenwriters at the top of their game, and excellent casts that really know how to act.
