Published: June 07, 2006 09:21 am      

War movie relies on mystery, detail to snag viewers

Jeff Burr loves horror films and his new movie, “Straight into Darkness,” has many of the elements of a fright film. But “Darkness” is something different.

Strictly speaking, it’s a war film, but Burr’s script and direction infuse “Darkness” with an eerie sensibility that moves the story into a twilight-zonish universe where the audience doesn’t know what to expect.

That unpredictability helps make “Straight into Darkness” an entertaining and original film, nothing like the cookie cutter movies cranked out daily in Hollywood.

“Straight Into Darkness” is set in the final year of World War II. The location is never made clear, but the German Army is on the run with local partisans nipping at their heels and American troops in pursuit.

The movie opens with two GIs, Deming and Losey (Scott MacDonald and Ryan Francis), under arrest and being transported by jeep. After blundering into a mine field and seeing their jailers killed, the two troubled soldiers take off.

But where can they go?

Wandering through the often desolate countryside, Deming and Losey see signs of the war's devastation and of the fierce struggle between the Germans and the local population.

Eventually Deming and Losey come to an old mill and its inhabitants, two school teachers (played stylishly by veterans David Warner and Linda Thorson) and their class, a group of young children scarred physically and mentally by the war.

Soon, the mill is brought under siege by a detachment of German troops desperate to claim the building.

But why is the mill so important?

Deming and Losey solve that mystery while working with the teachers and their students to wage a desperate battle for survival against the attacking Germans. The final battle scene is a tour-de-force of action filmmaking, worthy of a far more expensive picture.

Jeff Burr dedicated “Straight Into Darkness” to his late father, a veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division, and his attention to detail is impressive. From the fine score to the impressive set design and the brilliant photography, everything about “Darkness” comes together to make a challenging and entertaining movie.