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28/01/1977 Drama, Action, History, War 2h 13m
71
User score

On the Eastern front in 1943, the German soldiers no longer had any ideals. They were not fighting for the Party—but for their lives!

Overview

It is 1943, and the German army—ravaged and demoralised—is hastily retreating from the Russian front. In the midst of the madness, conflict brews between the aristocratic yet ultimately pusillanimous Captain Stransky and the courageous Corporal Steiner. Stransky is the only man who believes that the Third Reich is still vastly superior to the Russian army. However, within his pompous persona lies a quivering coward who longs for the Iron Cross so that he can return to Berlin a hero. Steiner, on the other hand is cynical, defiantly non-conformist and more concerned with the safety of his own men rather than the horde of military decorations offered to him by his superiors.

  1. Sam Peckinpah

    Director

  2. Herbert Asmodi

    Writer

Top billed cast

  1. James Coburn

    Unteroffizier / Feldwebel Rolf Steiner

  2. Maximilian Schell

    Hauptmann Stransky

  3. James Mason

    Oberst Brandt

  4. David Warner

    Hauptmann Kiesel

  5. Klaus Löwitsch

    Unteroffizier Krüger

  6. Vadim Glowna

    Gefreiter Kern

  7. Roger Fritz

    Leutnant Treibig

  8. Dieter Schidor

    Anselm

  9. Burkhard Driest

    Schütze Maag

  10. View more

Full Cast & Crew

Reviews

A review by John Chard
Written by John Chard on 2020-04-26
War is Peckinpah's survival hell.

Out on the Eastern Front 1943, battered by the war itself, a war they are losing, a platoon of German soldiers must also cope with a new aristocratic commander who deeply covets the Cross Of Iron, Germany's highest medal of honour.

Universally hated and panned by the critics upon release, Cross Of Iron now stands up as one of director Sam Peckinpah's finest works. On first glance it would seem to have been a strange film (genre) for Peckinpah to tackle, but scratch away at the scabs left by Peckinpah's trademark violence, and you see underneath that it s...read the rest
Read All Reviews

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Status
Released

Original Language
English

Budget
$6,000,000.00

Revenue
$1,509,000.00

Keywords