Based on the nonfiction book by Alex Kershaw, THE LIBERATOR (2020, Netflix) is a four-part WW2 miniseries chronicling infantry commander Felix Sparks and members of the 157th Infantry Battalion of the 45th Infantry Division, which fought for 500 days during the Italian campaign. The series is compelling, realistic enough that old tropes feel lived in and comfortable instead of saccharine, and emotionally powerful.

The series was originally conceived as a live-action, 11-part series for the History Channel. The daunting cost, however, consigned the project to the file drawer. The showrunner, Jeb Stuart, however, loved it enough that he and his team found a way to produce it as a four-part series and animate it. The result is an extraordinarily powerful drama about war that lacks the excitement and action of say BAND OF BROTHERS but has equal if not more emotional impact.

Interestingly, the story of the 157th is also a diversity story. To get bodies at the front, the services began to integrate. The 157th–the “Thunderbirds”–was an integrated unit made up of white cowboys, Mexican-Americans, and Native soldiers from across the American West. They fought long and hard in some of the most horrific battles of the war and as a result became one of the most decorated American combat units. In the series, the diversity element is handled very well, letting it speak for itself, and rather than present Sparks (played by Bradley James, nailing the role) as a “White savior,” he is merely an officer who believes if the men he’s given command of are simply treated fairly, they would become excellent soldiers, and he was right.

The animation works well and doesn’t detract at all from the show, though I’m not sure it enhances it other than enabling costuming, equipment, and special effects that wouldn’t been allowed by the budget. You can see the lack of budget in the number of people onscreen–at one point, several units are fighting and then surrender en masse, but we never see more than a handful of people on screen. I didn’t mind, mostly because the acting was terrific and the script was fantastic. One phrase that jumped into my mind while watching it was “the banality of war.” The series has a very lived-in feel, making it seem real even with the animation, and most of what we see is the men simply trying to survive. The real drama isn’t from the combat but instead the men we come to care about, particularly Sparks himself, and the way familiar war tropes surface while others are challenged. As for the Germans, they’re presented as real people as well instead of comic-book villains, though sometimes the SS–who were absolute fanatics–are humanized a bit too much for credulity.

In short, I loved it and highly recommend it.

Wow, now THIS is how you make a war movie. If you’re a war movie buff, especially WW2 movies, you owe it yourself to check out GREYHOUND (2020) ASAP.

Based on the book THE GOOD SHEPHERD by C.S. Forester, who produced the classic Hornblower series, GREYHOUND focuses on U.S. Navy Commander Ernest Krause, captain of the destroyer GREYHOUND and assigned to escort a convoy of supply ships streaming across the North Atlantic to aid besieged Britain. It’s his first operation, and he’s about to be baptized the hard way into the horrors of the Battle of the Atlantic. The most dangerous part of the voyage is a stretch of sea in which the convoy will be unprotected by air cover and under constant threat by German U-Boats. Almost immediately, a wolf pack collects around the ships, intent on ripping the convoy to shreds.

Starring as Krause, Tom Hanks also wrote the script, and he didn’t mess with the accuracy. The movie rolls out like a military procedural. We see the destroyer’s bridge crew work together under his direction, as he is forced to respond to constant threats and make tough choices with barely a break. The film gets everything right–the procedures, the gun battles, the way the crew look at their captain not only for direction and inspiration but to check if he’s cracking under the strain. The tension is terrific, the roiling cold seas a powerful setting, the German U-Boats with their distinctive insignia terrifying as they boldly attack like sharks. Characterization isn’t staged or forced to try to make us care. Good acting by Hanks and his captain’s mannerisms and working style tell us everything we need to know about him and make us root for him.

If you can’t tell yet, I loved this one and highly recommend it. It defies typical Hollywood movie conventions to offer something simple, entertaining, and pure.

MIDWAY (2019, streaming on Google Play) is military historical actioner focusing on the experience of bomber pilots in WW2 from the Pearl Harbor attack to the Battle of Midway, considered a major turning point in the war. As my next WW2 series is about carrier aviators fighting in the Pacific, I considered this essential viewing. The film largely got panned by critics, so I expected it to be lifeless, but while the characters are pretty weak, the action and history is pretty darn good, and overall I’d give it a B.

The funny thing is the action is so good that if this came out before say SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, I might have loved it for that alone, but films are the product of their times, and you can’t rely on action alone to make a lovable war movie these days–you need strong characters and a strong script.

The film follows an ensemble cast with some good actors, focusing mostly on Dick Best, a bomber pilot; Layton, an intelligence officer; and Admiral Nimitz, who replaced the scapegoated Admiral Kimmel as commander of the Pacific Fleet after the Pearl Harbor attack. None are particularly interesting. Layton fights with “Washington” (the senior military leaders), believing his intelligence is more accurate, and while he’s right, this is hammered over and over and in a sanctimonious way. Dick Best has the strongest character; for the first half of the film he’s not likeable–cocky is one thing, constantly belligerent is another–but he learns some humility along the way, which by the end makes him somebody we can root for. Nimitz is the most human and likeable, though we never really see the tough and brilliant commander he was, and after the midpoint, he functions mainly to clap Layton on the back.

Historically, the film is pretty accurate, covering all the major movements and battles of the carrier ENTERPRISE during the first months of the war. The sweep of time and events is cool for history buffs and is supposed to be epic, though it may be too ambitious, as a lot of it feels rushed and without depth, including a diversion to cover the Doolittle Raid that ends with a few scenes in China probably to satisfy the film’s Chinese financiers. Because of this rush, a lot of the dialogue feels way to pointed, such as a senior officer–I think it’s supposed to be Admiral Kimmel–telling Layton during the Pearl Harbor attack, “You were right! I should have listened to you!” Of particular interest is showing what’s happening among the Japanese battle commanders during Midway, which lends some gravitas and weight to the story.

So overall, it’s no SAVING PRIVATE RYAN–which though heavy handed combined incredible action with a simple story and a small cast of characters we can get to know and root for–but overall, hell, I have to say I liked MIDWAY. Regardless of its flaws, it’s a fast-paced actioner that makes a big effort to stick to historical accuracy, has great action, and is just plain fun to watch.