Incredible war film is a 'lesser known' and 'true classic' with 88% Rotten Tomatoes score

The war film A Midnight Clear (1992), despite being "lesser known," has been acclaimed as a "true classic" of its genre.

The movie, penned and directed by Keith Gordon, narrates the tale of young American soldiers conducting advanced reconnaissance in the Ardennes Forest during the Battle of the Bulge in late 1944.

Set in the final stages of World War II, these green troops encounter unexpectedly amicable German soldiers who express their desire to surrender, leading to unforeseen outcomes. The cast features Ethan Hawke, known for Before Sunset, as the group's 19-year-old leader Will "Won't" Knott, and Gary Sinise, famous for his role as Lt. Dan in Forest Gump, as Vance "Mother" Wilkins.

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Adapted from William Wharton's novel bearing the same title, one Rotten Tomatoes audience reviewer praised the film as an "incredible movie, one of my favorite war films of all time."

Another viewer described it as "beautifully cruel", elaborating, "It is a war movie that doesn't pull it's punches, and yet it is one of the few that also doesn't glorify them. This movie is a story full of sharp edges and awful realities."

A third reviewer lauded it as a "beautiful and sublime movie, I really can't find any flaws in it, aside from the pacing being a tad bit slow."

They further commented, "It really gets across its points in a subtle and sophisticated manner."

An Amazon customer critiquing a Blu-ray version of the movie remarked that although it doesn't rival war epic classics like The Deer Hunter or The Thin Red Line, it's "certainly a powerful piece of filmmaking."

The user expressed surprise about the film's obscurity, "I am very surprised that it is so little known and hard to get hold of," and urged for greater recognition of its merit, "It certainly deserves to be much better known."

Rotten Tomatoes shows an impressive 88% Tomatometer score for the movie, reflecting a majority of favorable critiques from accredited reviewers.

Audience approval also holds strong with a 79% rating on the Popcornmeter, indicating a sizable chunk of viewers who have given it at least 3.5 stars.

Although A Midnight Clear isn't currently streaming on platforms such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, or Apple TV, fans can still snag a copy on DVD or Blu-ray.