Film Review - Overlord

An American airborne division has a mission to drop behind enemy lines and knock out a radio transmitter atop  a church ahead of the planned Allied D-Day invasion. On the bomber headed into enemy territory is Boyce (Jovan Adepo) fresh out of basic and three months from hanging out on his grandma's porch in Louisiana. Wiseass New Yorker Tibbet (John Magaro) shutterbug  Chase (Ian De Caestecker) and the mysterious Ford (Wyatt Russell) the explosive expert who transferred in from another unit.  The opening sequence as the bomber heads to the drop site in Normandy is harrowing. The plane is under attack, explosions are going off all around. The aircraft is teetering, hit several times, about to go down as Sargent Resin (Bokeem Woodbine) tells the soldiers to hold until they hit the jump point.  On the ground the main players rally together crossing paths with Chloe (Matilde Olliver) who brings them to her home where she resides with her younger brother and sick aunt. There the Americans go about finalizing their plans on how they will take out the church.

James Avery film starts out as a straightforward World War two story then morphs into something more. The first snag is SS officer Wafner (Pilou Asbaek) that has an arrangement with Chloe planting himself on the main floor of the residence. The next is the realization that strange activities afoot in the church. The townsfolk are being subject to experiments with the end goal of a super solider to facilitate the 1000 year Reich. The tool a red serum that grants invincibility but at an incredible price.

Jovan Adepo is at the centre of the action as Boyce. He has a strong moral compass demanding to do what has to be done to wipe out the Nazi lab in addition to completing the mission. Kurt Russel's son Wyatt is the strong and silent Ford. He's more in the join them school but makes the right decisions when crunch time hits. Matilde Olliver is very effective as Chloe. She does what she has to do in her occupied town for the benefit of her younger brother being submissive when required but ferocious when the opportunity presents.

Overlord is a World War Two Nazi hunting tale with a twist. It will remind viewers of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds but the action is on boil just about the whole way through with a set of possibly the most unlikable Nazi ever on film. Which of course leads to great satisfaction when they meet their fate. Its a straight -ahead story that takes a detour that it rounds well on its way to a satisfying result.

*** Out of 4.

Overlord | James Avery |  U.S.A. | 2018 | 109 Minutes.

Tags; World War II, Airborne, D-Day, Nazi, Experiments, Serum, Super Soldier, 1000 Year Reich, Baseball.