Battleground is one of the very best war films of its period. This is one film that does not at all romanticize the idea of war in the least in any respect. The harsh conditions are shown in intimate detail by the absolutely stunning set design. The film was all shot on sets, but you'd never assume that from watching the film. The characters are not all shown to be heroes. There are moments of hesitations, or outright cowardice as it shows us men rather then some image of a proper soldier. The wear of the battle is shown as the men are beaten down by the battle physically and mentally. William Wellman's direction here is exceptional as the chaos of the warfare is realized in brutal detail. My only slight criticism, and it's pretty slight, is that some the actors simply say their lines a little too loudly. Not that there performances are bad, but it just seems odd for some of them to speak as they do when they are trying to not alert the enemy. That's really a nitpick in what is an excellent and unfortunately rather underrated film.
5/5
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