Sadly Over-hyped

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

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.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

"A Midnight Clear" is a film that reminds me of the wonderful French film, "Joyeaux Noel". However, instead of being set during WWI, this American film is set just before the Battle of the Bulge in WWII. Both occur at Christmas time...and both involve a strange sort of cessation of hostilities.The story is about a tiny reconnaissance group of American soldiers. They have the thankless task of scouting ahead of the rest of the army...and not surprisingly many in their small unit have already been killed. There are two main plots that result. First, they are discovered by a group of German soldiers who do not attack but instead wish to surrender. But, in order to prevent the SS back home from taking retribution against them for not fighting, they propose to make it look like they surrendered only after a horrible fire fight. Sadly, it does NOT go down as they'd planned. Second, after this, when the Major meets up with them, this commanding officer mostly screams at them and threatens them...and leaves them back at their forward base. When the German offensive begins, they're soon stuck behind enemy lines and they have to work hard to find their way back to the Allied lines.Despite some similarities to "Joyeaux Noel", it is different enough and somber enough to be a different film viewing experience. For the most part, it's just the story of a few men trying to survive...and the thankless tasks they've been given. Well made and worth seeing.

This was not a film a WWII vet would enjoy. Trust me.When my 73-year-old father-in-law came to visit, my wife decided to fill an afternoon with a video he might like, a war movie. Being Christmastime, she chose this particular war movie for her elderly father.One would assume such a man might be uncomfortable watching a war movie featuring disdain for the Army, snowball fights with the Germans, random religious symbolism, a homo-necro-erotic moment, collusion with the enemy, and a deeply felt anti-war message. Though I think this is one of the finest anti-war movies (with a Christmas theme) ever made, I did point out to my wife that we do have a copy of "12 O'Clock High" she could have shown her dad instead. (He was grumpy for the next two days after watching this.)Beautiful direction and camera work, with Utah subbing for the German-French frontier in wintertime. (You will feel colder watching this movie.) A thoughtful film with tension, grace, action, emerging stars and a fascinating story, "A Midnight Clear" isn't a family film, by any means. There are too many "F"-bombs for kids, and too little John Wayne, respect, and gung-ho attitude (but enough blood) for the Greatest Generation.Like "M*A*S*H" in its darker moments? Then you're going to like "A Midnight Clear".

Keith Gordon's film about war, friendship, humanity, and irony, A MIDNIGHT CLEAR, is one of the greatest war film ever made. This is a film that is refreshing, original, brilliant, disturbing, and extremely well made. It's about a group of World War II GIs trying to scout out a German GI camp located a few meters away from their location. They manage to avoid getting too close to actually coming in contact, but when they are spotted one day and not shot, they begin to suspect that the Germans want to have a truce and surrender. They must decide what is the right thing to do. However, their incompetence and fear of confusing their distraught fellow soldier Mother(Gary Sinse) may be a serious detriment. This film has an excellent opening sequence. it starts with the sound of bells and singing slowing transforming into a loud scream and then we see a scene filled with true suffering as Gary Sinse cries over his trauma of his child dying as he tears off his clothing while another GI tries to calm him down. With haunting scenery, great acting, and several underlying themes, the film doesn't feel overdone or over accomplished. It has almost a Kurt Vonnegut feel to it that brings a good sense of fresh air to this allegory. The film is flawless. It's definitely a sleeper hit. Check it out. its a keeper.NOTE: If you can, track down the DVD, because the commentary track and the deleted scenes are definitely a must see and hear. It's a shame that a lot of these scenes were cut out because they definitely add little more humanity to an already very human story. A lot of people don't recommend the DVD because it's full screen, but personally, a film is a film. If i can see the actors, the scenery, the actions, and the image, I'm alright. It's not like the quality is bad or anything. It'd be hard to make this film look bad though.

It is well made and well acted, however the plot is extremely limited to make it worth while watching.The film centuries around a lone patrol of relative misfits in the Ardenne forests during the winter of 1944. The essential plot to the movie is, if u where a German soldier wanting to surrender, what would you do? The makers of this drama feel it is OK to dwell on it for two hours whereas in most films it is a question of hands up, drop your weapons and come out...For me it is very important for a film to be faithful to the truth, but since I don't know for certain the kind of people and situations that arouse during the IIWW I cannot totally debunk or praise this film.Whether u like it or not depends on believing the characters, though I can accept that weird situations did arise, I have found it too cinematic, too Hollywood like, to feel it is an accurate portrayal of the situation.All in all, I would recommend to lower your expectations before watching it, and maybe your will be pleasantly surprised, rather than build them up only to feel deceived.As a final note, comparing it with Black Hawk Down or Apocalipse Now is like comparing a VW Beetle to a top of the range Mercedes or BMW.