Devil's Men

Devils men review Coming fresh off the heels of a masterpiece like "Masters of the Air" I had high hopes for more, modern World War II content. By all accounts, "The Devil's Brigade - Die Spezialeinheit" should have been a winner: an elite unite, the First Special Service Force, going up against seemingly insurmountable odds in an area of the war that really hasn't gotten the attention it deserves. However, despite some great editing, and passion on the part of the production crew and actors, the film feels disingenuous. Instead of taking audiences on a journey, showing them the horrors of war through the eyes of an Everyman, "Devil's Brigade" feels more like a version of war that the screenwriter thought it should be, instead of what it actually was. A sanitized version of events, instead of the true history that honors what these men and women went through. Beyond that, the dialogue felt forced. It sounded like someone had watched "A Bridge Too Far", "Big Red One" or "Patton" and tried to cobble together the same speech patterns found in those classics, but instead, ended up with something more akin to a 1950s radio serial: canned, hokey, and unnatural. Maybe "Devil's Brigade" will inspire viewers to look into the actual history and see what the real people did and experienced. I just wish it had been depicted in this film.

Devil's Men was a wonderful film that depicts the difficulties faced by soldiers in World War 2. We see them in the anxious days before going to war as they prepare. We learn about them and their lives that were interrupted by the conflict. Then we see what it was like to be faced with the challenges of battle and the loss of lives. It was also nice to see a lovely romance and to hear such beautiful music to depict their love. And it was nice to see a war film that was not filled with vulgarities. Without revealing the full story, it was a true account of a young farm boy from Wyoming, Sam Byrne played by Caleb Hafen, who was drafted into World War Two and then was selected into the First Special Service Force. We get to see the war from his point of view, which made it very personal and at times emotional. Knowing that everything on the screen was based on a true story made it rather compelling from start to finish. We got to experience the war as if we were right alongside him all the way through. We saw this film at a film festival, so we learned it was a low-budget film made in Utah and Oklahoma. It didn't look low-budget at all. It had the look and feel of a multi-million-dollar production that looked, and sounded, every bit as good as anything coming out of Hollywood. The music was beautiful, and there was a love song in the film that was fabulous. I want to know where to get the soundtrack, I enjoyed it that much. The acting performances were first class from all the major roles. These were wonderful performances that helped us feel their experiences and emotions. They made it real and made the story believable. It's no wonder that the film received the Audience Choice Award at the festival we attended. I believe it won awards at other festivals as well. The battle scenes kept us on the edge of our seat and brought the reality of war to us. We especially liked the scenes about taking German prisoners rather than killing them. This showed that there was humanity during the war, even though we rarely hear of see anything of that side of the war. This was the type of film that you don't mind bringing your kids to, especially because it helps them learn history and is not something you have to worry about what they might see or hear. There was plenty of drama, conflict, battle, and action to keep the boys interested, and a great romance to keep the girls watching all the way through. Each of them came home happy and said they enjoyed the film. Speaking of romance (and I'm working hard not to give away the story itself), it was great to see a nice romance take place that eventually led to happily ever after. It wasn't that sticky sweet Halmark romance, but it was a real-world story that had it's challenges and then worked itself out. There was a song that was part of the dance scene that was really beautiful and set the story well. It was the kind of song that sounded like it was from the World War Two period but was newly written for the film (according to the credits). It was called "Hold Me" and was really a nice addition to the film. It was sung by Casey Elliott, and accomplished singer who also played a key role in the film, depicting the real-life soldier Ernest Chipchase. The story was based on the letters sent home by Byrne. Throughout the film we see him writing and receiving letters, which makes this very personal. It's as if the audience become part of his family and are the ones receiving his letters. These letters were not an account of the war itself but were instead Byrne's reactions to the war. He letters helped us to see what it must have been like for the many soldiers who endured so much and then survived and had to live with difficult memories the rest of their lives. I couldn't help but think, now I know why my grandfathers (both) never spoke of their experiences in World War Two.

When I stumbled upon this 2023 war movie titled "Devil's Men" by random chance here in 2024, of course I opted to sit down and watch it, as I do like World War II themed movies. Howeer, I must admit that I wasn't exactly harboring much of any expectations to the movie, as it had managed to land a staggering 3.6 rating here on IMDb, when I sat down to watch it. Sure, I had never heard about "Devil's Men" from writers Dave Bresnahan and Mark J. Nelson, so I didn't know what I was in for here. And as such, then they had every opportunity to entertain and impress me, I suppose. I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list, and that is actually something I enjoy when I sit down and watch a movie; as there are no associations to other characters portrayed in other movies. The acting performances in "Devil's Men" were fairly okay. Most of the skirmish scenes were lacking dynamic camera work in order to make it more adrenaline-filled and exiciting. It wasn't that it was badly filmed or anything, but the skirmish scenes were just too flat and one-dimensional, and that was a shame, because a war movie is so much more enjoyable if it feels like the audience is right there in the chaos of warfare. And it wasn't as if there wasn't enough skirmish scenes to pick from. The wardrobe department and prop department definitely stepped up to their tasks and made it looks like an authentic World War II, and for a war movie that is a make or break deal. So thumbs up for accomplishing that. The music in the movie was a bit too over-the-top. They simply used too much of that 'epic' atmospheric music throughout the course of the movie, and it was a bit too loud in comparison to the overall rest of the movie. A minor detail, but a nuissance nonetheless. "Devil's Men" is a watchable World War II movie, though personally I could have used a bit more dynamic cinematography during the skirmish scenes. But all in all, a fair attempt at a World War II movie. If you enjoy World War II movies, you might get a particular kick out of watching directors Dave Bresnahan and Weston Childers' 2023 movie. My rating of "Devil's Men" lands on a five out of ten stars.

Why on earth try to make a movie about WW2 on a budget of $10.99 ? I mean kudos for a having the cojones to actually atempt it, but surely even just the pre-production stage should have warned them this was going to be a lemon. Terrible acting, probably the most wooden acting I have ever seen in a film. "Action scenes" that aren't. Boring scenes of the family back home gathered around the kitchen table (all on same side to save having to move the camera) reading out letters from their son in Italy. The flaws and mistakes in this film are just too long to list. Avoid at all costs and watch Masters of the Air instead.