Cross of Iron
1977 · Movie · R · 133 min · ★ 7.1 · 68% critics
In 1943 on the collapsing Eastern Front, a battered German unit fights to survive as it retreats through chaos and mud. Tensions flare when a new, status-obsessed officer clashes with a battle-hardened nonconformist who cares more about his men than medals, turning their mission into a dangerous test of loyalty and endurance.
Based on The Willing Flesh
Also known as Croix de fer · Sargeant Steiner
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Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 1977
- Release date
- 1977-01-28
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 133 min
- Max quality
- SD
- Critic score
- 68/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.1/10 (480 votes)
- Budget
- $6,000,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a grim, hard-edged WWII story focused on survival and clashes within a unit rather than heroics; Not for you if you dislike chaotic combat scenes or relentless brutality, like in Zulu or Gallipoli.
Pros: intense frontline tension; strong lead performances; bleak anti-war mood | Cons: confusing battle geography; messy episodic story; very graphic violence
Themes
- hostility
- world war ii
- battle for power
- troops
- commander
- lieutenant
- sergeant
- thoughtful
- empathetic
Cast & crew
James Coburn
as Unteroffizier / Feldwebel Rolf Steiner
Maximilian Schell
as Hauptmann Stransky
James Mason
as Oberst Brandt
David Warner
as Hauptmann Kiesel
Klaus Löwitsch
as Unteroffizier Krüger
Vadim Glowna
as Gefreiter Kern
Roger Fritz
as Leutnant Treibig
Dieter Schidor
as Anselm
Burkhard Driest
as Schütze Maag
Fred Stillkrauth
as Unteroffizier Schnurrbart
Directed by Sam Peckinpah