Search - To Hell and Back on DVD

Surprisingly Good Hollywood Take On Murphy's War

Barron Laycock | Temple, New Hampshire United States | 07/23/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The single biggest reason to watch this movie is that the star himself was in fact the single most decorated war hero of World War Two, and he is convincing here playing himself with dignity, sincerity, and humility, which, of course, Audie Murphy always had in spades. The movie was adopted from his best-selling autobiography, which my Mom let me read after blackening out all of the four letter slang (as she called it). Perhaps it shows that he was my childhood hero, and I still have a personalized autographed photo somewhere reading "Thanks, Barry, for being my fan" that a friend's mom got for three or four of us ten year olds at the time this movie was released in the mid 1950s. It was the first movie I saw ten times. And I wasn't alone; Murphy was a national icon. The movie truly is a classic; tightly directed, poignant, honest, accurate, and showing gripping combat without being gory or maudlin. It sometimes decends into travelogue movie-theater type newsreel moments, but these are thankfully rare and forgiveable. On the other hand, this is an interesting and absolutely true story of a common and uneducated boy from rural Texas who wanted more than anything to be a soldier and serve his country, and his subsequent deeds and patriotism above and beyond the call of duty inspired a whole generation of us who wanted to imitate his call to country. Unfortunately we walked into another time and the miasma of Vietnam. But that's another story for another time. Escape back to a time when the moral choices were clearer, and a real live hero was available to act his way memorably through an accurate recounting of his extraordinary if abbreviated military career. He may be gone too soon, the victim of a plane crash in the early 1970s, but his lifetime admirers remain. Enjoy!"

A unique historical film experience

Greg B | 07/14/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When are you ever going to see a great hero playing himself in his greatest moments? If "Saving Private Ryan" was too gory for you, here's a movie that shows the glory and pain of WWII, but without the gore. If your grade-school kids want to know about the soldiers of WWII without them having nightmares, have them see this film. Audie Murphy is great in this role -- even though it is his story, it becomes the story of ALL the soldiers (although Audie does have the best moments). The fight scenes are gripping, and it really does feel 'real' rather than 'staged'. I would also recommend that you read Audie Murphy's book of the same name to get the whole story. Definitely Audie Murphy was the greatest U.S. soldier in the 20th Century!"

I'm embarassed

Greg B | Raleigh, NC | 09/29/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have to say that after I saw this movie, I was a little embarassed that I had never heard of Audie Murphy before, especially since I'm 37 years old. This guy epitomizes the term "war hero" and his story needs to be retold. I'd love to see this remade so that more generations of people would know about him. The current version was great, especially because Audie plays himself. A must watch, especially for anyone who doesn't know anything about him."

The Most Decorated of the Greatest Generation

Greg B | 08/24/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Audie Murphy stars in the movie version of his autobiographydetailing his experiences in the Third Infantry Division in Italy and Southern France during the Second World War. Audie won every American medal awarded for combat as well as a Purple Heart and several French medals for heroism. The cast was excellent and complemented Murphy very well. The combat scenes were extremely realistic and the only movie with rivals it for scenes of fighting in the Italian Campaign is "The Story of GI Joe" which was written by Ernie Pyle. Audie was a member of the "greatest generation" and will always be one of the great heroes of American history. He made up for small stature with a heart and courage of enormous intensity. END"