Hart's War

Hart's War is currently streaming in Australia on MGM Amazon Channel, and in the US on Hoopla and Fawesome, and it rewards the patience it asks of you. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Bruce Willis anchors it with a performance that rewards close attention. Put it on tonight on MGM Amazon Channel and see for yourself.

Hart's War is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. Character-driven storytelling at its most effective — Hart's War earns every emotional beat it goes for. When Col. William McNamara is stripped of his freedom in a German POW camp, he's determined to keep on fighting even from behind enemy lines. Enlisting the help of a young lieutenant in a brilliant plot against his captors, McNamara risks everything on a mission to free his men and change the outcome of the war. Bruce Willis and Colin Farrell lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2002. Hart's War resists tidy resolutions in a way that respects how messy real consequences actually are. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Viewers drawn to character-driven storytelling will find plenty to sit with in Hart's War. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Bruce Willis carries the material with a performance that rewards close attention. Worth starting sooner rather than later.