Featured Audience Ratings

• Jim H

  
  An infantry unit fights in the Battle of the Bulge. This is a claustrophobic, character-driven war film that proves that very little in modern-day film is original as there is a lot of <i>Platoon</i> and even a dose of <i>Full Metal Jacket</i> in… More
  An infantry unit fights in the Battle of the Bulge. This is a claustrophobic, character-driven war film that proves that very little in modern-day film is original as there is a lot of <i>Platoon</i> and even a dose of <i>Full Metal Jacket</i> in <i>Battleground's</i> plot construction and character development. The center of the film is the characters who take a while to get to know, but once the film gains momentum in the second act, they become real human beings under extraordinary circumstances who complain about their lack of big picture knowledge of war strategy and each other. Overall, while I didn't like the film's pace and thought the characters took too long to delineate themselves, I can't deny that this is a good, foundational film in the canon of war movies.

• Cindy I

  
  A war movie that's not a fighting movie., This film tells one story of the many companies who fought in the "Battle of the Bulge", the WWII battle in the Ardennes Forest of Belgium in Winter 1944. While the film has several exciting battle sequences, its main focus… More
  A war movie that's not a fighting movie., This film tells one story of the many companies who fought in the "Battle of the Bulge", the WWII battle in the Ardennes Forest of Belgium in Winter 1944. While the film has several exciting battle sequences, its main focus is on the men who are doing the fighting. Van Johnson, Marshall Thompson, James Whitmore and John Hodiak lead the cast, all believeable as wearied soldiers who want nothing more than to go home. I have a special fondness for this film because my grandfather fought in Battle of the Bulge, and it's interesting although painful to see what kind of conditions he endured. And -- for future reference -- I'm told by people who know better that the film "Battle of the Bulge" is crap and not even close to what really happened out there. This one is the one to see. And to get the full picture, check out Band of Brothers, a 10-part HBO mini-series, based on the a book written by a man who was there.

• Randy T

  
  If you've seen the landmark mini-series <i>Band of Brothers</i> then you've seen a gritty, less stylized version of William Wellman's <i>Battleground</i>. Considering the era (late 1940s), Wellman does a nice job of using Hollywood's… More
  If you've seen the landmark mini-series <i>Band of Brothers</i> then you've seen a gritty, less stylized version of William Wellman's <i>Battleground</i>. Considering the era (late 1940s), Wellman does a nice job of using Hollywood's standard glorification of combat to frame the atrocities of war. He tried to lighten the dark feel of the picture by adding elements of humor but they seem strange and out of place (because they ARE). Post-WWII studio films were meant to be animated recruiting posters and <i>Battleground</i> is no exception. Still, if you can manage to shovel aside the heaps of propaganda you'll see glimpses of the more cynical, less benign attitude toward war that was about to impact military genre films.

• Walter M

  
  The good news is that Hooper(Scotty Beckett) and Layton(Marshall Thompson) are two hours away from Paris. The bad news is that there is still a war going on, as leave has just been canceled for Layton's new unit, giving him little time to settle in, just as Holley(Van Johnson)… More
  The good news is that Hooper(Scotty Beckett) and Layton(Marshall Thompson) are two hours away from Paris. The bad news is that there is still a war going on, as leave has just been canceled for Layton's new unit, giving him little time to settle in, just as Holley(Van Johnson) returns from Paris. It is even worse for 'Pop' Stazak(George Murphy) who is on the verge of being discharged for humanitarian reasons. All they know is that they are going someplace cold which is usually something not associated with hell. Their first stop is Bastogne where Denise(Denise Darcel) welcomes them with open arms, with Jarvess(John Hodiak) translating, in return for a year's worth of chocolate and cigarettes. "Battleground" is a rousing tribute to the 'Battered Bastards of Bastogne' of the 101st Airborne Division who with limited supplies and little fresh knowledge of the wider conflict and even which country they are in, know who they are fighting in holding the line. Camaraderie is key as we see the men evolve from happy-go-lucky to battle hardened veterans with Layton earning the right to be called by his name. And despite coming from a very different background, Roderigues(played by a very young Ricardo Montalban) is accepted too, as he takes great enjoyment in his first snow.

• John B

  
  War movies continued to be popular after the war was over. I am truly amazed that those who have endured a war can relive it in a cinema so soon after it happens. Nonetheless this is a good Van Johnson film.

• MJS M

  
  A war film from the late forties, possibly the first time that World War 2 looked like it wasn?t a fun adventure in a studio film. It was a grim and gritty take on the Battle of the Bulge, this caused a lot of arguments within MGM (Louis B. Mayer, who preferred light pleasant… More
  A war film from the late forties, possibly the first time that World War 2 looked like it wasn?t a fun adventure in a studio film. It was a grim and gritty take on the Battle of the Bulge, this caused a lot of arguments within MGM (Louis B. Mayer, who preferred light pleasant entertainment, hated this project), but it worked out in the end, it was a box office and awards triumph. There is a certain matter of fact quality to the film; it?s just the story of these men trying to do their best in a tense and unpleasant situation. In this sense I think it?s an excellent companion to The Hurt Locker.

• cody f

  
  A pretty good film about the Battle of the Bulge. Wellman does good with the action and all of the actors do a good job. The problem I had,and it's not this film's fault, was after watching Band Of Brothers all Battle of the Bulge film fail in comparison.This was a great… More
  A pretty good film about the Battle of the Bulge. Wellman does good with the action and all of the actors do a good job. The problem I had,and it's not this film's fault, was after watching Band Of Brothers all Battle of the Bulge film fail in comparison.This was a great looking film and it won for Best Cinematography, and you can tell that Band Of Brothers was highly influenced by this film. Van Johnson does a really good job in this, but it's not a top tier WWII film.

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