Review of All Quiet on the Western Front

There are war films that celebrate our men in uniform and then there are films like All Quiet on the Western Front - the so called anti-war film. Despite its age All Quiet is one of the stand-outs in the genre - at least in terms of its depiction of the brutality of war. Even through a modern lens the trench warfare shown here is shocking and the rapid camera pans that give a sense of the immensity of carnage on a battlefield will stick in your mind.

The plotting and characterization lack the impact of the battle scenes but there is some success in giving a face to the generally faceless victims of war. All Quiet on the Western Front is bleak, disturbing, horrific but still resonant today.