Passchendaele - 5 Stars out of 5 stars

Released in 2008 and running 114 minutes this is a rare movie about WW1,you remember that one,the war to end all wars??Well it didn't and the debate continues why the war was even fought.Aside from setting the stage for a even worse war to come all it seemed to do was kill and destroy a generation of life leaving the survivors to wonder why via much literature and pantings and not very well done movies.A few decent movies come to mind like "All Quite on the Western Front","Gallipoli","Paths of Glory"and "Sargent York".I may or may not review those down the road,however none cover life AND war as well as this one.It's a Canadian film about their war, much as Gallipoli was about Australia's participation and "All Quite "was about Germany's and Sargent York about the US.Where this film differs is the romance aspect as well as expatriate  aspects not in the others.There was a battle for Passchendaele that Canadian forces won but lost 3 months later to a counterattack.Tragic,but thats the ending.The story begins with a much smaller battle for some ridge and our Sargent Dunn is leading 3 other soldiers.They all die and he kills a German soldier with a bayonet thrust to the head sort of cold blood like.This haunts him in what we now call PTSD.He is nursed back to health by a nurse whose brother has asthma.
He falls for her and helps here kick her morphine habit while the brother can only get the girl HE loves by enlisting.Ah,but its not that simple,their father was a German immigrant to Canada who left to fight for the Germans in a battle that Sargent Dunn fought in.
Its a very different kind of story with the best WW1 battle scenes I've ever seen.The early Calgary Canada scenes are good as well. If you want a really different war film yet one that delivers in historic fashion,its a MUST.My full rating and I'm buying it.Trailer follows the pix.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6WYHagWdeE