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www.sensesofcinema.com - : Cross of Iron is an anti-war film in that it focuses on the average foot soldier, the harshness of his daily existence, and the horrors inflicted on him by war. These men dream about survival, peace, sex and home. Yet Steiner, like many of Peckinpah's male protagonists, is unwilling or incapable of being open to other ways of existing. more...
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www.slantmagazine.com - : Cross of Iron would almost seem a proper mea culpa by Peckinpah for his controversial career, and the pre-Dogville closing credit sequence featuring a risible, anti-patriotic photo slideshow reveals a director still capable of new and inventive provocation tactics. But the fact is that, in the end, the audience is still made to side with the character with the biggest balls. more...
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2.5/
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www.filmcritic.com - : Sam Peckinpah's Cross of Iron is distinguished as a war movie for the major reason that it's one of the only English-language movies made that stars the Nazis as the movie's heroes. Facing off against Russia on the eastern front, the real drama playing out not with the enemy, but between hardened Steiner (James Coburn) and careerist Stransky (Maximilian Schell), who cares little for the war and everything for glory -- namely getting an Iron Cross for his valor. more...
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3/5
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Critic Reviews
