All Quiet on the Western Front

           A timeless classic that won the Academy Award in 1930, is remade once again as a Netflix exclusive. For the first time, it's an authentic German cast that endures the vivid horrors of World War I from the German point of view. The film stars Felix Kammerer as Paul Baumer, the idealist young recruit that marches off to war for the "glory of the Fatherland".

           Once he arrives in the trenches of the front, any idealism left is quickly replaced by fear and chaos with Paul just trying to survive. The film is grim and harrowing in its depiction of war. The realistic futility of two enemies entrenched in a battlefield that neither side can capture is remarkable. The camera doesn't shy away from brutal scenes of war and director Edward Berger easily makes the anti-war statement conveyed by the original novel.

           A change from the earlier versions, depicts a parallel subplot of German emissaries trying to come to terms with the French for an armistice that will end the war. Daniel Bruhl plays Matthias Erzberger, the German official leading the delegation. The film ends with a slight variation on the final scene but it's impact is just as powerful.