Come Out Fighting movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Come Out Fighting

This WWII thriller will be in theaters and On Demand on May 19, 2023.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 25 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B+

IN A NUTSHELL:

The gritty WWII movie was written and directed by Steven Luke (Operation Seawolf, Battle of the Bulge: Winter War). It was produced by Steven Luke, Dean Bloxom, and Andre Relis.

Set during WWII, in this military adventure, a small, specialized squad of U.S. Army African American soldiers are sent on an unofficial rescue mission behind enemy lines to locate their missing commanding officer. The squad upon battling their way through the German defenses encounter more than they bargain for when they locate a downed U.S. Army fighter pilot. With the help of their friends at the 761st tank battalion, known as “The Black Panthers,” the squad must find a way to survive and make it back in one piece. This film was inspired by the 761^st Tank Battalion, although the story is fictional.

THINGS I LIKED:

The movie features great performances by Michael Jai White (The Dark Knight), Tyrese Gibson (The Fast and Furious franchise), Kellan Lutz (The Twilight Saga), Hiram A. Murray (Operation Seawolf) and the fan favorite Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV).
The movie starts off with an action sequence and immediately pulls you in.
Beautiful cinematography by Joseph Loeffler.
Not-so-fun fact: During WWII, black soldiers were not allowed to fight alongside whites. It’s extremely impressive that so many African Americans signed up in the Army to fight for a country that didn’t treat them as equals.
The title of the movie is taken from the motto and insignia of this courageous black battalion.
If you like war movies with lots of explosions and battles, this one is for you.
General George S. Patton is represented in the movie and is played by Gary David Keast. Patton had a very favorable reputation among the black soldiers in real life.
The Tuskegee Airmen also get a shout-out in the story, although the movie isn’t about their red-tail story. That’s an inspiring story too!

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Some of the visual effects and sound effects aren’t very realistic.
Fans of Dolph Lundgren will be disappointed that he doesn’t engage in any action in this war movie. He’s top brass and just sits behind a desk. Of course, he does so in a very manly way. Ha ha We saw the same thing in his recent movie called Operation Seawolf. The made-up scars on Lundgren’s face look super fake.
The 761^st Tank Battalion is depicted as always angry and disobedient to orders.
While I’m a fan of WWII movies, I’m definitely no history expert. I imagine that Army vets will be able to point out a lot of inaccuracies in the film.
Why would the Germans take the time and effort to hang prisoners rather than just shoot them? That didn’t seem very believable or rational. It was a convenient choice to allow the good guys more time to be rescued.
A lot of lines are spoken between overacted, gritted teeth, often making it difficult to understand what was said.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Kids will probably be bored.
Profanity, including F-bombs
Lots of fighting with various weapons.
Very high dead-body count.
Lots of destruction and explosions

THEMES:

Racism
Patriotism
Sacrifice
Honor
Self-restraint
Brotherhood

INTERESTING LINES:

“The best thing you can do in war is to have no fear.” – Lieutenant Robert Hayes (Hiram A. Murray)
“I don’t care what color you are as long as you go up there and kill those proud SOBs.” – General George S. Patton (Gary David Keast)
“I never would have asked for you if you weren’t good.” – General George S. Patton (Gary David Keast)
“Everyone has their eye on you and is expecting great things from you.” – General George S. Patton (Gary David Keast)