Description
France, June 1944. On the eve of D-Day, some American paratroopers fall behind enemy lines after their aircraft crashes while on a mission to destroy a radio tower in a small village near the beaches of Normandy. After reaching their target, the surviving paratroopers realise that, in addition to fighting the Nazi troops that patrol the village, they also must fight against something else.
Overlord skillfully exists at the junction of war drama and horror. On the one hand, there is a spectacular, albeit short-term landing in Normandy, escapes from patrols, French collaborators, sabotage behind enemy lines - and all this is in the spirit of these your "Private Ryan", in which ordinary soldiers, both American and German, take part. On the other hand, there is an infernal component that balances on the edge, but does not slide into outright trash. The idea of bringing Nazis and mysticism together is far from new, but the film manages to look fresh, and its authors skillfully keep the viewer in suspense until the very end. Moreover, techniques from both progenitors are used alternately. Either a local Nazi officer played by Johan Asbeck (Euron Greyjoy from Game of Thrones) cosplays a villain from Inglourious Bastards, or an unknown infernal thing that does not want to die will drag someone into the dark. Sometimes the oppressive atmosphere is diluted with jokes in the style of the Sinister Dead, but the sense of proportion never changes the director. As soon as you feel the approach of the infernal big show, the tape seems to pull itself together, stops grinning crookedly and gives out a tough and serious scene.
Overlord manages to spectacularly reveal the horrors of war from several angles at once, without elevating the painful topic into the sphere of idiocy, as can be solved by the trailer.