Worth: $14.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
James Le Gros, Motell Gyn Foster, Alex Hurt, Andi Matichak, Angus O’Brien
Intro:
… an engaging film which focuses acutely on the individual and their plight.
Directed (+ produced, written, scored and edited) by Jack Fessenden (Stray Bullets, son of Beck Underwood and Larry Fessenden, the latter producing here), this independent movie spans several decades in pursuit of that often chased theme: the effect of war on the human psyche. Here, this is done through three, essentially, short films and a core cast who appear in each story.
Starting in the American Civil War, Black Union soldier Jackson (Motell Gyn Foster) is seriously injured and searching for help. Stumbling across a trench of fellow Union members, sanctuary looks to be wished for and gifted. However, Jackson’s arrival is met with suspicion. The men have been tasked with digging a trench, and carrying Jackson to the nearest hospital would be suicide, says one. Another eyes up Jackson’s skin colour and figures him to be a slave and Confederate sympathiser. The light in this hostility is Wilson, played by James Le Gros, the voice of reason who echoes in each of Fessenden’s tales.
If there’s a chance to save a fellow human, shouldn’t it be taken, he and the film asks.
The next story is set in World War 1 and is arguably the strongest in terms of cinematography (by Collin Brazie). Commanding Officer, Morton (Alex Hurt) finds himself up against his own men when a German soldier literally falls into their trench. Morton, clearly impacted by the violence and noise he’s already witnessed, sees the German as a symbol of everything he hates. Refusing to take the man prisoner as his platoon suggest, Morton seeks bloody retribution. Like before, the men wrestle with the morals and consequences of their actions.
The film’s final third sees Fessenden flex his action muscles as a group of soldiers in Afghanistan are ambushed. Trapped in a broken-down Humvee, they must decide between standing their ground or face uncertain death in the piercing sun. Adding to their dilemma is Wilson (Le Gros again), their medic now turned injured patient. To leave him behind would make it easier to escape, but then he is a fellow soldier who has presumably cared for them all at some point.
Shot in a way that belies its modicum budget, Foxhole wants to focus on the doubts borne out of the predicaments in which these men find themselves. After all, it’s easy to decide what to do when you’re watching from the comfort of your own home and are not shellshocked.
This isn’t the valiant war movies of the silver screen that fly the flag at a moment’s notice. WWI Wilson might plead the virtues of ‘representing the United States of America’, but that doesn’t stop his past and future incarnations from being allowed to be scared and having the potential to make the wrong decision.
The film could be tighter in places. The resolution of our brave WW1 soldiers has the feel of the last episode of Blackadder Goes Forth, but not in a good way. And yes, the dialogue can be a little on the nose at times. However, Fessenden and his troupe of actors make for an engaging film which focuses acutely on the individual and their plight.
