No Man's Land (2001)

I love this movie so much

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Sometimes the theme of the film has a more powerful impact on the audience, rather than the story or style. In the case of "No Man's Land", human morality which postulates the senselessness of war, was the successful driving force. This film has a healthy dose of humor for a war flick. So much so that it seems that the director is trying to force the savagery of the bloody Bosnian Civil War through the filter of irony and hilarity. The effect is that the film draws you in from the very start as jittery soldiers crack jokes about pessimism, foggy weather and bald heads. Additionally, The acting was brilliant throughout the flick which involves a pan-European cast. Most notable were the roles of Cici and Nino that were memorably played. What I really liked seeing was how Nino got more and more aggressive as the movies draws on, far from the the meek person we saw in the opening sequences. All in all, NML is a fresh breath in war movies as the utilization of pathos and pyrotechnics is minimal. The movie instead utilizes the canvas of tragicomedy to paint a vivid, realistic picture of the effects of war. Definitely deserved the Oscar it got. Amelie won't leave you pondering the way this movie does.

A film about a devastating conflict in history, it really does show us that war is good for 'absolutely nothing'. From the point of view of three grievously injured soldiers from both sides stuck down a trench in the neutral zone, we experience their hatred for each other, and their forced truce in the face of pending death. One of them has been placed under a live grenade, which makes their situation even more precarious as he can't move an inch without blowing them all sky high. Also, we see the perspective of the media (Which is only after a big story) and the generals (Who are more concerned with saving face than saving lives). Put them all together, and you have an intoxicating political brew, which is as frenetic as it is interesting to watch.The plot moves in unexpected ways, and because these are flawed people we're talking about here what could have been a quick and easy resolution is complicated by interests from many different parties, who end up just getting in getting in each others way with their separate agendas. While those poor troops are bleeding to death at the bottom of this pit, everyone who could assist them is too busy bickering about protocol and headlines to give them the support they need. Mind you... the soldiers aren't really helping matters either by engaging in petty squabbles and unnecessary violence, even in their predicament. Yes, here we have humanity at it's worst, warts and all. And what a depressing sight it is. But it DOES make for a top film.And BTW that final shot is one of the best I've seen in a while. 7/10

A true winner of Oscar, however it is difficult to decide between Amelie and this one. The film is one of those rare pieces where you find unpredictable things happening. First there is love and respect which changes gradually. In the starting it was looking awkward but the ending stole the show for me. A film made on a different subject like the cold mountains. It presents very nicely the characters and mental states of the two people. I liked the role of media as well. The duration of the film is well and optimum. In the middle it was looking that they are running out of the plot and may be nothing will be left for them. But then they did introduced new lines and characters well suited to the story. A true entertainment."A definite watch at least for one time."

This movie was up against "Amélie" in the 2002 Academy Awards and won. So I have to say this right up front: unduly. "No Man's Land" is a well-made movie about a very worthy subject. Amélie is a groundbreaking masterpiece.Now that that's off my chest and I can sleep soundly again, to the movie itself. No Man's Land starts off with a small platoon of Bosniak replacements getting lost in no man's land, and being consequently viciously cut down by the Serb foes when the sun rises. Only two of the platoon survive badly wounded. One of them is being discovered a a Serb patrol, taken for dead, and placed on a live mine (in order to assault Bosniaks trying to salvage the body). The other Bosniak manages to take one Serb hostage. So now we have three wounded, inexperienced soldiers in the middle of mine-riddled nowhere. The movie takes on a parabolic, abstract note because the soldiers are all wounded, but are surprisingly active and talkative. The first half of the movie deals with the three inept, wounded soldiers confronting each other, without having the guts to gun each other down.Then UNPROFOR gets wind of this conundrum and comes to the the rescue. This is when the movie takes on a satirical twist, and becomes more bearable than the realistically dire first half. But eventually there are no winners in this movie. The knights in white (the warring factions call them the smurfs due to their white uniforms and blue helmets) withdraw and leave a mess behind. We are stuck in Bosnia, a far sight away from cute Hollywood endings.Overall a painful but memorable movie.