A Midnight Clear

Stars: Ethan Hawke (Dead Poet's Society, White Fang), Peter Berg (Late for Dinner, Crooked Hearts), Gary Sinise (True West, Of Mice and Men), Frank Whaley (Born on the Fourth of July, The Doors, Career Opportunities), Arye Gross (Soul Man, Coup de Ville), Kevin Dillon (Platoon, War Party). The third William Wharton novel to be adapted to the big screen (the first two were Birdy and Dad), A Midnight Clear by actor-turned-director Keith Gordon (best known for his lead role in Christine) is a powerful antidote to the militaristic fervor of recent films inspired by the successful wars produced by President's Reagan and Bush. Set in the snowy Ardennes in December, 1944, the film boasts a dynamite ensemble cast of young actors. As the film opens, the half dozen members of an I & R (intelligence and reconnaissance) squad have been sent to occupy a French chalet in the mountains and report on any local activity. To their surprise they find the ragtag remains of a German squad. But these Germans are very strange: although they mostly stay out of range, when they appear they throw snowballs instead of grenades, or yell less than militant remarks like "sleep well" to the Americans. Needless to say, the boys, led by reluctant Sergeant Will Knott (whose nickname is "Won't") don't know what to make of these pacifist German soldiers. Ultimately, the troops make a truce, and Knott and his fellow soldiers hatch a plan which will allow the slightly mad Mother (Sinise) to go home. But the best laid plans of mice and men do indeed go awry, as an unexpected turn of events brings on a powerful and deeply ironic tragedy. A superb cast and Gordon's faithful rendering of Wharton's excellent novel place A Midnight Clear in the ranks of the great anti-war movies like Paths of Glory, Gallipoli, and Platoon. Audience: Except for a brief and delicately handled flashback sequence in which the boys lose their virginity, A Midnight Clear is an excellent film for teens and adults, which captures both the madness and the folly of war.