Writer & director Steven Luke has surpassed himself with his latest low-budget, World War II epic "Come Out Fighting," about a rugged platoon of African American Army soldiers and a downed Army Air Forces' aviator whose paths cross each other in this nimble helmed, 85-minute actioneer. As a connoisseur of World War II films (I wrote my Ph. D. dissertation about Warner Brothers' World War II era film and the OWI), I loved this little movie for a variety of reasons.
First, unlike his deeply flawed Battle of the Bulge movie "Wunderland" (2018), Luke has tanks galore here. The Sherman tanks that Tyrese Gibson and his guys ride in looked were pretty darn convincing. The armor that the Germans had looked doggone convincing, considering that the only survivors are locked up in museums.
Second, and probably more revealing to me, were the two P-51 Mustangs that looked extremely real and appeared to have been borrowed, meaning they were genuine. As for the Messerschmitt Me 262, it was clearly a CGI model but it was well-done, and the dogfight between the P-51 fighters and the Me 262 made for a gripping opening gambit that sets the plot in motion, with a guilt-ridden pilot, Lieutenant Frank Ross (Kellan Lutz of "Twilight") losing his friend because he shot up a train transporting more tanks. This opening sequence reminded me, too, of another above-average World War II thriller, writer & director Michael B. Chait's "Wolfhound" (2022) that featured genuine, vintage World War II aircraft.
Third, any movie that educates me about a subject that I spent a lot of time studying in college is always going to impress me no matter how low-budget or otherwise it is. Nobody told me about the African American tankers that fought for General George S. Patton during his race across Europe. The 761st "Black Panther" Tank Battalion was comprised of African Americans and they were the first to see active combat. Everybody knows about director Budd Boetticher "The Red Ball Express" (1952) with Sidney Poitier and Anthony Hemingway's "Red Tails" (2012) with Cuba Gooding, Jr., but apart from a handful of war movies that throw African Americans into combat, few have been memorable, while some have violated history, such as director Julius Avery's historically flawed but entertaining thriller "Overlord" (2018) which too liberties with history and desegregated the ranks so that black and whites served together with a black sergeant in charge. The first casualty of war is truth, and despite its super-soldier saga, "Overlord" violated that principle. Happily, Luke has sidestepped that obstacle like one of the land mines that the black GIs disarm in "Come Out Fighting." Consequently, despite contrivance and anachronism, "Come Out Fighting" stands at attention for everybody to salute for all of these reasons.
The contrivance referred to above is the inclusion of Gibson and his tankers in the mission. I couldn't help but think of Brian G. Hutton's wonderful behind the lines bank robbery "Kelly Heroes" (1970) with Clint Eastwood and Telly Savalas picking up Donald Sutherland's hippy tanks to embark on their raid. Altogether, I enjoyed "Come Out Fighting" but I was surprised in retrospect to find that Luke didn't make more out of the African American tankers. Performances were strong throughout, especially from "Fast and Furious" actor Tyrese Gibson as the tank commander. Indeed, Gibson looks like he was really under fire during his scenes when he is buttoned up in the tank and bawling orders to his tanker crew. Naturally, the Germans are given the short shrift, except from one older Kraut who struggles to string up young black Lieutenant Robert A. Hayes (Hiram A. Murray of "Operation Seawolf"), which I am going to have to watch now. As Sergeant AJ 'Red' McCarron, Michael Jai White of "Black Dynamite" gives one of his more evocative performances as a non-com so dedicated to his commanding officer that he is prepared to face charges for leading his men out in the field without orders to find him. Gary David Keast has a few brief moments as old "Blood & Guts" George Patton. He is appropriately gruff but subdued compared with the flamboyance that Oscar winner George C. Scott brought to the role. Patton fanatics may take issue with his costume because he wears his Colt revolvers in flap holsters instead of cutaway fast draw rigs.
Too many second and third string producers and directors are making World War II movies that aggravate old guys like me, particularly director Nick Lyon's disappointing naval yarn "The Rebels of PT-218" (2021) which was impossible to finish after watching after his superior earlier effort "D-Day: The Battle of Omaha Beach" (2019). Suffice to say, everybody has bombed "Come Out Fighting," but this combat epic lives up to its title and its gung-ho heroics were good enough for me to champion Steven Luke's latest effort. I could rave on more about this movie, but I'd probably bore anybody reading it.
First, unlike his deeply flawed Battle of the Bulge movie "Wunderland" (2018), Luke has tanks galore here. The Sherman tanks that Tyrese Gibson and his guys ride in looked were pretty darn convincing. The armor that the Germans had looked doggone convincing, considering that the only survivors are locked up in museums.
Second, and probably more revealing to me, were the two P-51 Mustangs that looked extremely real and appeared to have been borrowed, meaning they were genuine. As for the Messerschmitt Me 262, it was clearly a CGI model but it was well-done, and the dogfight between the P-51 fighters and the Me 262 made for a gripping opening gambit that sets the plot in motion, with a guilt-ridden pilot, Lieutenant Frank Ross (Kellan Lutz of "Twilight") losing his friend because he shot up a train transporting more tanks. This opening sequence reminded me, too, of another above-average World War II thriller, writer & director Michael B. Chait's "Wolfhound" (2022) that featured genuine, vintage World War II aircraft.
Third, any movie that educates me about a subject that I spent a lot of time studying in college is always going to impress me no matter how low-budget or otherwise it is. Nobody told me about the African American tankers that fought for General George S. Patton during his race across Europe. The 761st "Black Panther" Tank Battalion was comprised of African Americans and they were the first to see active combat. Everybody knows about director Budd Boetticher "The Red Ball Express" (1952) with Sidney Poitier and Anthony Hemingway's "Red Tails" (2012) with Cuba Gooding, Jr., but apart from a handful of war movies that throw African Americans into combat, few have been memorable, while some have violated history, such as director Julius Avery's historically flawed but entertaining thriller "Overlord" (2018) which too liberties with history and desegregated the ranks so that black and whites served together with a black sergeant in charge. The first casualty of war is truth, and despite its super-soldier saga, "Overlord" violated that principle. Happily, Luke has sidestepped that obstacle like one of the land mines that the black GIs disarm in "Come Out Fighting." Consequently, despite contrivance and anachronism, "Come Out Fighting" stands at attention for everybody to salute for all of these reasons.
The contrivance referred to above is the inclusion of Gibson and his tankers in the mission. I couldn't help but think of Brian G. Hutton's wonderful behind the lines bank robbery "Kelly Heroes" (1970) with Clint Eastwood and Telly Savalas picking up Donald Sutherland's hippy tanks to embark on their raid. Altogether, I enjoyed "Come Out Fighting" but I was surprised in retrospect to find that Luke didn't make more out of the African American tankers. Performances were strong throughout, especially from "Fast and Furious" actor Tyrese Gibson as the tank commander. Indeed, Gibson looks like he was really under fire during his scenes when he is buttoned up in the tank and bawling orders to his tanker crew. Naturally, the Germans are given the short shrift, except from one older Kraut who struggles to string up young black Lieutenant Robert A. Hayes (Hiram A. Murray of "Operation Seawolf"), which I am going to have to watch now. As Sergeant AJ 'Red' McCarron, Michael Jai White of "Black Dynamite" gives one of his more evocative performances as a non-com so dedicated to his commanding officer that he is prepared to face charges for leading his men out in the field without orders to find him. Gary David Keast has a few brief moments as old "Blood & Guts" George Patton. He is appropriately gruff but subdued compared with the flamboyance that Oscar winner George C. Scott brought to the role. Patton fanatics may take issue with his costume because he wears his Colt revolvers in flap holsters instead of cutaway fast draw rigs.
Too many second and third string producers and directors are making World War II movies that aggravate old guys like me, particularly director Nick Lyon's disappointing naval yarn "The Rebels of PT-218" (2021) which was impossible to finish after watching after his superior earlier effort "D-Day: The Battle of Omaha Beach" (2019). Suffice to say, everybody has bombed "Come Out Fighting," but this combat epic lives up to its title and its gung-ho heroics were good enough for me to champion Steven Luke's latest effort. I could rave on more about this movie, but I'd probably bore anybody reading it.