Reading the backstory of the new World War II film “Recon,” you can’t help but be reminded of the 2019 World War I drama “1917.”
Each movie can be traced to a filmmaker — in the case of “1917,” Sam Mendes, and with “Recon,” Robert Port — wanting to better understand and appreciate his grandfather’s experiences in the respective global conflicts.
“‘Recon,’” Port says in the director’s statement for the film, “was the culmination of a life spent trying to understand. Understand why men like my grandfather, a simple man, who served honorably in World War II, would never discuss his heroics with an eager, wide eyed, 8-year-old boy.”
Also, each film tells a smaller-scale story about soldiers engaged in a mission. Sure, “1917” does it an incredibly grandiose manner — with acclaimed cinematographer Roger Deakins’ execution of Mendes’ bold one-shot-like vision resulting in consistently astounding visuals — while “Recon” is a much more intimate affair. (Shot in British Columbia, Canada, it was captured, quite attractively itself, by director of photography Edd Lukas.)
No, “Recon” ultimately does not stand as tall as “1917” — despite what Oscar voters decided, we maintain Mendes’ work was the best film of the year — but “Recon” accomplishes its mission all the same.
Port’s debut as a feature filmmaker, “Recon” is adapted from 2008’s “Peace” by Richard Bausch, which is based on a true event.
Soon after opening narration that’s married with a creative use of on-screen text to set the bleak scene for American soldiers in Italy in the waning days of the war, we see the incident that will inform the rest of the story: a platoon sergeant executing a seemingly innocent woman.
This doesn’t sit well with four of his men, who not long after are sent on a dangerous reconnaissance mission up a snow-covered mountain.
While the group is led by Marson (Alexander Ludwig), much of the film’s energy is generated by the mutually antagonistic relationship of the short, talkative Ash (Chris Brochu) and the short-tempered Johner (Sam Keeley). To say they irritate each other is an understatement, but the evolution of their relationship over the course of the story is satisfying.
Early on, the soldiers encounter Angelo (an intriguing Franco Nero), an older Italian man who claims to want to help them and offers to guide them. On the surface, he seems trustworthy, but there are hints he understands English better than he is letting on, and concerns that he is a facist sympathizer leading them into a trap persist.
Arguably a bigger concern: The men are haunted by a sniper hunting them.
All that is on top of worries about landmines.
Co-produced by former talk-show host Maury Povich’s MoPo Productions, “Recon” clearly didn’t have a huge budget. However, it is one of those movies that shows you that storytelling trumps all, especially when paired by solid acting.
While Keeley (“Burnt”) and Brochu (“The Vampire Diaries”) as their respective characters chirp at each other, Ludwig — a star of recent Netflix holiday romance “Operation Christmas Drop” — is strong as the movie’s emotional center. He proves to be up to the challenge of making the film’s climactic moment work.
Port’s resume is relatively short — his writing work dwarfs his directing experience — but he offers both admirable writing and direction with “Recon.” Yet while his generally less-is-more approach works really well, the occasional moment does feel overly dramatic.
“Recon” was released to video-on-demand platforms on Nov. 11. Like many war movies that have their intended impacts, it is effective in reminding us of the sacrifices made by those who’ve served their nation. At times, it’s interested in the mundaneness of the wartime experience — the blisters, the exhaustion, the boredom.
“Beautiful, (expletive) freezing Italy,” Joyner says early on in the movie. “I have no idea why my mom wants to visit here so bad. Smells like (expletive) Michigan to me.”
At other times, it is interested in something bigger.
“Recon” is not rated but includes adult language and war-related content. Runtime: 1 hour, 35 minutes.
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November 15, 2020 at 06:52PM
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