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Cross Of Iron
(Sam Peckinpah)

Cross of Iron is the only war film directed by master filmmaker Sam Peckinpah, starring James Coburn, Maximillian Schell, and James Mason. Director Sam Peckinpah, with the same tenacity and style he brought to such classics as The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs and The Getaway delivers a riveting and violent tale of men on the front lines of battle. Set in 1943, Cross of Iron centers on Corporal Steiner (James Coburn of Eraser), an accomplished but war-weary combat veteran leading a group of German soldiers on the Russian front. Steiner's authority comes under attack when Captain Stransky (Maximillian Schell of Deep Impact) takes over the command of his troops. A Prussian aristocrat, Stransky has one goal in mind: to win the coveted Iron Cross, Germany's highest medal, at any cost. The two military aces soon face off in an intense and deadly battle of wills. Highlighted by Peckinpah's trademark balletic violence, ultrarealistic battle scenes and a top cast that also includes David Warner (Titanic) and James Mason (The Verdict), Cross of Iron blasts open the gates of hell (Newsweek) and affirms director Sam Peckinpah's prowess as an action filmmaker of graphic mayhem (Variety). No less a film authority than Orson Welles called it the greatest antiwar movie since All Quiet on the Western Front.

United Kingdom/Germany, 1977, Color, 128 minutes.

Video Cassette available in NTSC only

Only available on DVD. Click here to order.

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