Pretty Good

A lot of fun.

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

'Castle Keep' ('CK', 1969), a largely forgotten film of the WWII genre, provides an intriguing & carefully woven narrative that unfolds like an extended episode of 'Combat' (1962-66) or 'The Gallant Men' (1962-63). Featuring action sequences among the most masterfully crafted in the genre, 'CK' is not a large battle epic, but instead focuses on fleeting personal narratives that provide a dark & dramatic atmosphere in comparison to the typical 60's WWII genre film. 'CK' depicts a smaller slice of the 'Battle of the Bulge' (1965) by concentrating on the personal dynamics of a small group of soldiers. Some may see 'CK' as a prelude to 'On A Midnight Clear' (1992), but the essence of the 60's, such as in 'Kelly's Heroes' (1970) & 'Catch 22' (1970), is unmistakable. Superb cinematography, an adequate digital transfer (room for improvement), excellent editing (with only minor continuity flaws-you have to be incredibly attentive to be aware of), & brilliant script (not without some weak dialogue), all mark this production that provides an alternative perspective to the typical WWII action/drama fare. While somewhat unconventional & experimental in its approach, 'CK' is laden with symbolism (if you look for it), dark humor, & philosophical content that touch on war's futility. Carefully crafted scenes of action & suspense among the drama/dialogue, makes 'CK' a film that can be recommended to all WWII genre viewers, including the casual interest viewer, but is likely not what may appeal to the action-heavy WWII genre enthusiast, or action film lover. For similar themes consider: 'The Train' (1964); 'Escape To Athena' (1979); 'When Trumpets Fade' (1998); 'Mediterraneo' (1991); 'Battleground' (1949); & 'Two Men Went to War' (2002). Also consider: 'Silent Night' (2002); 'A Walk in the Sun' (1945); 'Attack' (1956); 'Big Red One' (1980); 'Sahara' (1943); 'Bronenosets Potyomkin' (1925); 'Resistance' (2003); 'The Dawns Here Are Quiet' (1972); 'El Laberinto del Fauno' (2006); & 'The Cuckoo' (2002).

Skip it – This is the most disappointing World War 2 movie I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of them. I would call it campy, even zany. It tries to be "artsy," similar to "Thin Red Line," only it doesn't work. Was the director on drugs? Burt Lancaster is a Major with an eye patch in the U.S. army commanding a squad of men charged with protecting a medieval castle. Sounds good so far right? That's what I thought. Well, his men don't even fire their guns till the very end. Ol' Burt is more concerned with having sex than fighting Nazis. Peter Falk co-stars as a soldier more concerned with baking bread. Seriously, he's a baker, and more importantly, he's not funny in this role. This is no action movie. This is a made-for-TV quality movie at best. I'm not a fan of most 70's war movies, and even though this was made in 1969 its close enough. 1.5 out of 5 action rating

my father rented this movie when I was 7. I couldn't understand this weird movie, and only enjoyed the battle scenes.Seeing it again after I became more mature ;-), I was hit by the quirky, black-humor, sardonic, sarcastic nature of it all. This movie is the best antidote for those Chuck Norris-type of movies :-)Burt Lancaster is brilliant as the straight-arrow Maj. Falconer, stubbornly insisting on holding back the German advance. Like all stone-headed commander, he insists that he is right on everything, even when he is not. Patrick O'Neal as Beckman, who sees himself as a civilized person, tries his best to infuse the men with some culture and steer his CO to a more civilized course of action, but of course good ol' Falconer insist on seeing things in black and white. The rest of the men, war weary to the bone, fall back to "fighting their own private wars" to paraphrase Falconer. For example, Peter Falk plays Rossi, the baker-soldier, obsessed with bread; baking it, eating it, having wine to eat with it, sleeping with the baker's wife, etc. Wilson plays the soldier who falls in love with an *ahem* Another soldier played by Tony Bill focuses on his music, helped by none other by a German, who, of course, was shot to death by a fellow G.I. And who can forget Bruce Dern, in his best "loony" role yet. The Count and his young wife provided the foundation for all this non-standard war time atmosphere. The battle scenes are also excellent. Watching them, you wouldn't think that this is a thinking film, and not just some brainless action movie.

Clearly, Academy Award winning actor Burt Lancaster must have gotten along well with director Sidney Pollack because they made two films together: "The Scalphunters" (1968) and "Castle Keep" (1969) and Pollack contributed in the one in between, "The Swimmer," that Lancaster appeared in for director Frank Perry. A one-eyed U.S. Army commander, Major Abraham Falconer (Burt Lancaster of "Elmer Gantry), leads a squad of eight soldiers, consisting of three officers, two sergeants and three enlisted men soldiers into the Ardennes Forrest in 1944. They billet themselves in a breathtaking 10th century castle in Belgium on the eve of the historic Battle of the Bulge. The dry humor comes through the dialogue that cleverly undercuts each situation or predicament that our protagonists encounter. If fantastic photography guaranteed that a movie would be artistically great, "Night of the Generals" lenser Henri Decaë would make this the rule rather than the exception. His widescreen cinematography is a consistent treat for the eyes and the pictorial compositions are well-balanced and imaginative.Director Sidney Pollack and scenarists Daniel Taradash of "From Here to Eternity"(1953) and David Rayfiel of "Valdez Is Coming" (1971) adapted the novel by David Eastlake. "Castle Keep" emerges as a surrealistic World War II action epic. Major Falconer and his men defending the castle against an onslaught of German troops and armor. During the first half of this 106-minute movie, castle owner Count of Maldorais (Jean-Pierre Aumont of "The Siren of Atlantis") welcomes Major Falconer, Captain Beckman (Patrick O'Neal of "El Condor"), Lieutenant Amberjack (Tony Bill of "Ice Station Zebra"), Sergeant Rossi (Peter Falk of "Anzio"), Sergeant DaVaca (Michael Conrad of "Sol Madrid"), Corporal Clearboy (Scott Wilson of "In Cold Blood"), Private Allistair Piersall Benjamin (Al Freeman, Jr. of "The Lost Man"), and Elk (James Patterson of "Lilith") to the castle and hope that they will defend it from the enemy. Principally, Maldorais wants them to save his works of art and hopes that the virile Major will get his classically gorgeous wife, Therese (Astrid Heeren of "Silent Night, Deadly Night"), pregnant because the count is impotent and needs a male heir.After the Americans settle in—Falconer warms up the master bedroom with Therese, the soldiers head into town to the Red Queen brothel, while Rossi befriends the widow of a baker (Olga Bisera of Women in Cell Block 7") and starts baking bread. Captain Beckman gives lectures about the artworks in the castle. Not-surprisingly, Beckman was one an art historian. Falconer shows up in town and shows the prostitutes how to design Molotov cocktails and then throw them at German tanks when they enter town. The funniest scene involves Corporal Clearboy and the Volkswagen beetle that he finds on the premises. Late one night, two G.I.s set out to destroy the VW bug by pushing it into the moat. The bug floats so they shoot at it below the waterline to sink it. Corporal Clearboy awakens to the sounds of gunshots and scrambles for the stairs. A fellow soldier tells him to take the shortcut through another door. Clearboy opens the door and spaces on air. The door opens on the moat and the G.I. plunges into the moat, but he swims to the VW, cranks it up and drives it up onto dry land. The second half concerns the castle defense and a brief but explosive battle with tanks blasting away at the architecture as well as the Americans concealed behind it.Despite its pretentious, cool attitude toward warfare, "Castle Keep" qualifies as a traditional war movie, but it is far from conventional. The action boils down to a desperate siege with no hope in sight for relief. Indeed, some of the best World War II era films dealt with gallant last stands, such as "Wake Island," "Bataan," and "China." The Germans constitute a faceless enemy. Pollack keeps them at arm's length so we have no reason to hate them. The Americans are a cross-section of the United States and they are basically good guys who like to loaf when they get a caught. Major Falconer is a straight-up guy who does not lord it over his men. Nevertheless, despite its handsome production values, splendid photography, this World War II movie rarely generates any suspense because it the Americans are not portrayed in a sympathetic light and everything seems arbitrary. The performances are all good. Lancaster delivers a tight-lipped, no-nonsense performance as the disciplined commander with a purposeful manner. Pollack invests very little sentiment when the characters die. None of the Americans receive historic treatment. The sight of the castle burning is hypnotic. One of the most iconic character actors of the 1960 thru the 1980, perennial villain Bruce Dern turns up as a raggedly deserter who leads a religious sect. You can tell that "Castle Keep" is an anti-war movie because it refuses to glorify warfare. The problem with "Castle Keep" is that it doesn't have enough sarcasm to be a satire and it lacks exuberance in its combat sequences to be a warmongering classic. Interestingly, "Castle Keep" fails to measure up to its own—or perhaps Beckman's--definition of good art. According to Beckman, great art but disturb and awaken its audience. Sadly, "Castle Keep" neither disturbs us enough nor awakens us.