Battleground
1949 Nominee

100 Words
Most of the time, war movies are a hard sell for me. They’re over-the-top and too brutal. As a result, they lose their appeal (for me at least). This one, though, establishes the humanity of the platoon with the reality of loss during wartime. Each guy has a unique personality that is seamlessly integrated into the story quickly. The balancing of intimacy with action-packed storytelling is a challenge many war movies that I’ve seen fail to meet adequately. This one focuses on a small town in Belgium and a small group of guys that feel like friends by the end.