Thisisnotalargescalemulti-milliondollarepicofWorldWarTwo.Nothousandsofextras,nowidepanoramicsweepofbattlescenes.ThissaysmoreaboutTheBattleoftheBulgethanthemovieofthesamename.ItsjustanordinaryblackandwhiteM.G.M.production.Whatitlacksinsizeandscopeitmakesupforinimpact.Asimplestoryverywelltold,ofasquadofGIsofthe101stAirborneDivision,thrownintothemaelstromthatwastheGermanoffensiveintheArdennesinDecemberof1944againsttheAlliedgroundforces.Itshardtobelievethatthisfilmwasnotshotonlocation;butonaMetrosoundstage.AndMetrosCulverCitywasturnedintotheonlyoutdoorlocationforthesnow-covered,rubble-strewntownofBastogneundersiege,whichwastenaciouslyheldbythe101st,underthecommandofBrig.GeneralAnthonyMcAuliffe.WiththeexceptionofVanJohnsonasPvt.HollywhowashighprofileontheMetrolotinhistime,andGeorgeMurphyasPvt.Stazak,therestofthecastwerecharacter-typeactorswhofilledtheirrolesperfectly.JamesWhitmoreasSgt.Kinnieisdrillingthesquadintheopeningscenes.ThesquadmemberstalkofanenjoyablefurloughinPariswhichissuddenlycutshortbytheGermanbreakthroughintheArdenne.Ptv.Stazakhopesofgoinghomearedashedbecausehisauthoriseddocumentshavenotcomethroughbeforethesquadmovesupfront.DouglasFowleyasPvt.Kipptonseemstobethebestinthesquadatbellyaching.Maybeitshisdenturesthatmakehimasourpuss.ButFowleysdenturesturnintoaclassact;clickingawaytotheoldsong,ISurrenderDear,throughthecourtesyofaGermanpropagandabroadcastheardovertheradioinaShermantank.DeniseDarcelcomesasawelcomereliefoffemininepleasure;notoutofplaceinthetownofBastogneitself.Inanindoorscene,Pvt.Hollyseyeballsgointoleft-to-rightoverdriveashestaresatDenisesbuxomrearenddescendingaflightofstairs.ThentheresHollyagain,nursingstolennewly-laideggs,asvaluableasgoldnuggets.Hesabouttoscramblethemoverafirewhenthesquadistoldtosaddleupandmoveout.NotforthefirsttimedoesJohnson(Pvt.Holly)yell,ohno!Aexpressionhesusedinpastmoviesalso.Thebrokeneggsinhisupturnedhelmetarenowaproblem.Intheenditsdisaster.TheGermanartilleryscrambletheeggsforHolly.Problemsolved!Onathreemanpatrol,Holly,HodiakasJanness,MontalbanasRodriguez,interceptandforceajeepcarryingaMajorandtwosergeantstostopandidentifythemselves.TheknowledgethatGermansareinfiltratinginGIuniformshasmadethepatrolsuspicioussotheMajorisaskedhowtheDodgersmadeoutin1944.TheMajorhesitates,buttheSergeantintherearseatasksHollywhoBettyGrableismarriedto.Montalbanshoutsback,CesarRomero.TheMajorsaysRomeroisout.BettyGrableismarriedtoHarryJames.Thetenseatmosphererelaxes.Thepatrolisconvincedtheyrefriendly.Whatisdisplayedauthenticallyonthisstudiosoundstageistheicy,bone-chillingatmosphereofthebattlefield.Themenhunkereddown;thedeeperthebetter,intheirfoxholes.Throughoutnearlyallthismoviethereistheconstantriseandfallinthebackgroundofcontinuousartilleryfire,likearollingthunder.Itneverseemstocease.Sometimesitsclose,sometimesdistant.That,alongwiththefreezingfoghanginglikeathickwhitish-greyblanketintheair,envelopingeverything,givesoffanatmosphereofcrisis;afeelingoffearfultension.Themenendeavourtodispelthefearwithhumour.Waitingandwonderingwhentheenemywillappearghost-likeoutofthemist-shroudedforest.Neartheendofthemovie,LeonAmesgivesagoodperformanceasaArmyChaplain.TryingtoexplainthereasonforthisnecessarytriptoEurope,tokilloffamurderouspoliticalsystemthathasalreadykilledoffmillions.Beforetheend,thetablesturnintheAlliesfavour.SergeantKinnienoticeshisshadowagainstthesnow.Thesunisbreakingthroughandthemistrises.Alliedtacticalairpowerisbackinbusinessagainwithavengeance.VeterandirectorWilliamWellmanwasnotfoundwantingwhenhedirectedthismovie.Hehadalreadyprovedhimselfwith,TheStoryofGIJoe,in1945.Antiwarfilm?Anywarfilmwellmadeandconvincingcanbeantiwar,andyoudonotneedbloodalloverthesilverscreentoproveit.Antiwarornot,WorldWarTwowasapopularwar.Thereasonsstuckoutamile.TheArmyChaplainsaidsoinsomanywords.TheArdennesoffensivecaughttheAlliesunawares.Bylate1944,batteredtheGermanforcesmayhavebeen.ButtheystillhadafewnastyshotsintheirlockertoscarethelivingdaylightsoutoftheAlliedCommand.WethoughttheGermanshadrunoutoffightingsteam,butoldFieldMarshalGerdVonRundstedtthoughtdifferent.领头的叫陈文，年级不大，二十三(sān )岁，在人族(🍩)(zú )平均(🛄)年龄达到(📛)五十岁来(🔆)说，这个年(💉)龄确实算得上年(🔨)轻(🏳)小伙(huǒ )子。铠甲俑士似乎(🐕)(hū )是适应过来了。结果反(fǎn )倒(dǎo )是慕浅先(💃)教训起他来，爷爷(🥄)你(🐲)啊，不要趁我不(bú )在(❔)(zài )就坏了规(guī )矩，我会(🚃)(huì(🦀) )每天打电话回来监督你(nǐ )的，到了周末我也会定(📥)期(qī )回来抽查。你要是敢(gǎn )胡乱(🤹)(luà(🗨)n )折腾，不好好养身体(tǐ )，就别怪我对你不客(kè )气。截(🛶)获(⛔)此消息的(🕘)警探理查(👹)德（RyanReynolds饰）(🚱)与唐纳德马上前(🧗)往巴(bā )迪的所在地(🍉)——太浩湖。不可(💈)能！容恒态度恶劣地(❌)拒绝，谁(👫)都可以(👡)，就他不行！闻言，傅城予眼波(bō(🧔) )凝了(🐘)凝，随后才缓缓(💬)开口(💆)(kǒu )道：你告诉(🔕)他们，他们(💦)要(🗨)怎么(me )对付萧家是他们自己的事，我(🐳)的事，不需要别人插手。他长得好(🤶)，在村民眼(yǎn )中他家世也(🏼)好，如(📎)此对待一(⏸)个姑娘也没(🐖)(méi )人说不对。在这(zhè )一些人之中，打扮(bàn )的过分(🚻)干(gàn )净的张秀(xiù )娥(🚢)(é )和(hé )张春桃，到显(😺)得是两(🌽)(liǎ(🕝)ng )个(🚬)异(🍬)类(🌜)了。