Wicki brings a tremendous sense of confidence to the project, letting the details of life on the home front heighten the tragedy to come.

Director Bernhard Wicki's precise and gripping staging of the final battle brings the tragedy of war sickeningly alive.

Filmed in striking black and white, it's a successfully sympathetic narrative concerning a group of teenage boys drafted into a useless battle at the tail end of WWII.

One of the most confrontational war movies of its time. An act of profound audacity.