Hart's War

“Hart’s War” poses the question of the value of one human life over the good of the country. Set in Stalag VI, the World War II Belgium prisoner of war camp run by the Nazis, we are witnesses to the kind of decisions of conscience that no one would ever want to face. When do you sacrifice the life of someone innocent for some greater good?

The current round of films situated in the struggles of war are reminders of the values that shaped our personal and collective characters during the Second World War, Vietnam, and Desert Storm. The sacrifices required during World War II seemed clearer cut, but no war prepares us for the impact that the deaths of others will have on our own souls.

Lieutenant Thomas Hart (Colin Farrell) is the son of a U.S. Senator that is destined for an easy ride during the last days of the war. Entering the service while attending law school, young Lt. Hart never expected to be captured and sent to a POW camp. And certainly, he never expected to have to stage a trial and defend a black prisoner of war falsely accused of murder.

Race relations in the newly integrated army are the basis of the struggle of conscience that Lt. Hart faces in the camp. The ranking prisoner of war, Col. William A. McNamara (Bruce Willis) uses the race struggle to mask and divert his secret plot against the German camp commander. Meanwhile, a racist soldier, Vic Bedford (Cole Hauser), plays into his hands by falsely accusing an African-American officer, Lt. Lincoln Scott (Terrence Howard), of murder. Needing a diversion for his plot against the Nazis, Col. McNamara demands that Lt. Hart put this disdained black officer on trial for his life. If Hart cannot prove his innocence, then the Germans will have him executed.

Hart’s War is a reminder of just how far we have come in one generation of racial integration. While stories like “Black Hawk Down” renew our sense of commitment to never leaving one of our soldiers behind, Hart’s War reminds us that only a few short years ago, many soldiers would have offered up their black compatriots in order to save their own necks.

Without giving away the ending, Col. William McNamara’s conscience ultimately redeems Lt. Lincoln Scott and saves him from the death penalty. But the bigger question during this “heart’s war” is what values are we willing to sacrifice in the name of protecting the values we claim to defend? There are no easy answers.

Reprinted with permission from CinemaInFocus.com

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