Nicholas Winter’s latest period war action flick, War Blade, might be lacking in budget and military advisory guidance, which army history nerds will surely point out, but even with a trope-filled script and clichéd characterization, the movie does a good enough job showcasing the realities of the war. When it comes to projects where the ambition is much larger than the scope, the only saving grace turns out to be the way the narrative is approached, and in a number of war movies made on shoestring budgets like War Blade, a tendency to play on the safe side and lean on military glorification can be seen. The fact that Winter’s latest movie consciously avoids doing that is something I felt quite commendable.Â
Chronicling the efforts of a ragtag group made up of Allied Forces operatives during the Second World War aiming to save a captive soldier while taking down a heavily fortified Nazi bunker, War Blade focuses on the human cost of war by presenting the plight and perspective of the characters presented in the narrative.Â
Spoilers Ahead
What Was Robert Banks’ Mission?
As the Second World War ravages the western front, British Special Operations Agent Robert Banks is assigned a seemingly impossible task. One of his former associates, Ivy Lavigne, who is at present a part of the French resistance, had her husband, Paul, abducted by the Nazis, who are holding him, along with a number of political prisoners, in a secret bunker in France. Banks needs to find this bunker, which is suspected to contain a significant stash of munitions, and blow it to bits, and all he can afford is one demolition expert and two days. If he manages to save Paul while completing his mission, then that’s an added bonus.
Faces of War
The details about the bunker and Paul’s predicament were relayed to Ivy by a nurse, Saskia, who, along with other caregivers, was forced by the Germans to keep Paul and prisoners like him drugged and underfed. Getting crucial intel about the bunker and directions to the resistance outpost from Paul, Saskia was able to flee from the bunker and, out of goodwill, considered it to be a priority to send the information to the resistance unit instead of escaping with her life through the Swiss border. However, Ivy couldn’t trust her, and considering her to be a German spy, she put the poor girl through hell by torturing her. Ivy’s reaction probably stems from her own guilt, as she and Paul weren’t on great terms the last time they were together, and Ivy blames herself for his abduction by the Nazis.
On the other hand, there’s demolition expert referred to Banks, Charlie Somerton, who risked his life to save his comrades during a botched test run and, as a result, partially lost his ability to hear. Aside from physical impairment, Charlie’s volatile temperament indicates he is suffering from major wartime PTSD. After everything, Charlie had considered finally getting a chance to retire to a quiet life, but the country he put his life on the line for considers him a liability, and he is assigned to Banks’ mission.
Banks and Charlie are airdropped inside the French frontier, where Ivy and her associate, Vincent, receive them, and immediately both parties get off on the wrong foot. Banks takes no time asserting his control over the mission and helps Saskia to regain a sense of trust by treating her with a certain degree of kindness. Banks decides to take Saskia along with their skeleton crew of combined British and French operatives under Banks and Ivy’s command, much to the nurse’s dismay, who becomes overwhelmed with anxiety and fear at the thought of returning to the same hellhole she escaped from. Banks also tries to assuage Ivy’s mistrust regarding Saskia, and as Ivy’s guilt regarding Paul’s abduction begins to make its presence felt, Banks comforts her by reminding her of the importance of the mission at hand. One thing is quite clear: the duo shared a bond of friendship, and even though wartime experiences have changed them as people, the bond between them still exists.
Banks himself is a broken leader who gets flashes of memories of his late wife, which is the only factor motivating him to carry on the good fight. He feels a compulsion to save the ones whose lives have been entrusted to him, and his guilt at not being able to save his own wife drives him further.
Were Banks and Ivy able to save Paul?
Charlie and one of Ivy’s accomplices, Lea, who is revealed to have lost four of her brothers in war, fall for each other, much to Vincent’s dismay, and he occasionally locks horns with Charlie over it. It becomes clear that the operatives have banded together with a common goal, but at present they haven’t been able to cast aside their differences. Anyway, already on a time crunch, the team begins their journey to locate the bunker following Saskia’s intelligence. Charlie reveals that the plastic explosive they have been carrying might not prove effective if the bunker is indeed as deep and fortified as Saskia’s intelligence suggests.
The team loses its first member as one of Ivy’s operatives gets blown to bits after setting off a mine. Ivy once again starts blaming Saskia for misguiding them, and Banks somehow manages to calm her down. It’s clear that Ivy lacks tactical skills and composure compared to Banks, and it’s a good thing she isn’t leading the mission. As the team takes refuge at an abandoned outpost at daybreak, Saskia reveals to Banks details about Steiner, the dreaded chief of operations at the bunker—who mercilessly torments the prisoners, burns them to death, and governs his regiment with an iron fist.
As Banks’ team continues their journey the next day, an ambush by a couple of Nazi operatives results in Lea and Vincent meeting their end. However, the crude reality of the situation prompts Banks to ask not to even bury the departed and continue their journey. Banks and Charlie disguise themselves in the uniforms of the dead Nazi operatives and burn their belongings to create a pillar of smoke large enough to distract the Nazi soldiers stationed at the bunker. Banks and Charlie decide to go directly through the entrance by pretending Saskia to be captive, while Ivy and her only remaining operative, Butcher, enter through the furnace chimney. As both parties enter the bunker, they manage to kill their fair share of Nazi operatives; Butcher sustains a fatal injury, which prompts Ivy to proceed alone; and Banks comes face-to-face with Steiner. A grueling fistfight ensues between the two, where Steiner initially manages to get the upper hand, but Banks gathers his strength after being motivated by the memories of his late wife and manages to fatally injure the Nazi chief. Banks also learns that the bunker is holding a significant amount of gold, a resource valuable enough that, in the hands of the Nazis, it can create disastrous consequences.
On the other hand, Paul manages to get free by killing an operative and the nurse who tormented him by drugging him, and as he steps outside of his confinement, he comes across Charlie and Saskia. Paul mistakes Charlie for a Nazi soldier (uniform), and a scuffle begins between the two, and right at the moment, Ivy arrives at the scene, and in his confusion, Paul ends up shooting her. Paul dies moments later as a Nazi operative kills him, who in turn is eliminated by Charlie—an absolutely chaotic series of events to say the least.
Was Banks Able To Save Saskia?
A grievously injured Ivy is taken to safety as Banks meets with his team to share the update about the bunker’s content. Charlie manages to find a stash of dynamite, which he manages to arrange around the key weak points of the bunker’s foundation. However, a dying Steiner manages to fatally shoot Charlie, who refuses Banks’ effort of rescuing him, as he needs to stay to ensure the bunker gets destroyed. Dragged back to the horrors of the war, Charlie decides to make the ultimate sacrifice. On the other hand, Saskia patches up Ivy the best she can, and an apologetic Ivy asks for her forgiveness, given how harshly she treated the poor nurse in the past.
As Banks takes Saskia and Ivy to an emergency exit, Ivy decides to stay behind as well, much to Banks’ dismay. In order to provide a safe exit to Saskia and Banks, Ivy sets her mind on holding off the oncoming Nazi cavalry. Just as Saskia and Banks leave the bunker, Charlie remotely detonates the dynamite, resulting in the entire bunker caving inside the ground. Even though Banks couldn’t save Paul, his prime directive is fulfilled, although at a terrible cost.
Saskia and Banks take refuge in an abandoned outpost, where a couple of Nazis arrive in a bike and sidecar. One of the operatives shoots Banks, and as he is about to deliver the killshot, Saskia kills him with the knife Banks had given her in the first place, thereby saving Banks’ life. Interesting to see how the once timid, frightened nurse was transformed after experiencing the horrors of the war from close quarters. Banks is revealed to have survived the gunshot, as he was carrying a gold bar in his pocket, which deflected the bullet. After killing another soldier, Banks and Saskia manage to get to safety by riding the bike and sidecar. As they reach the banks’ extraction point, it’s time for them to part ways. More than the mission at hand, the importance of saving lives is highlighted by the final moments of the movie—as Banks managed to rescue Saskia, an innocent woman who was embroiled by the harrowing grip of war. However, now that she has gone through so much, Saskia appears eager to continue the fight, but Banks instructs her to seek a life of her own. He gives the gold bar to her, which I think Saskia will consider more as a memorabilia than a financial aid, and provides her with his contact information to ensure she reaches safety while moving on her way through Swiss borders. Banks’ extraction plane arrives moments later, and he bids farewell to Saskia in the final moments of the movie. The duo might have survived their tribulations, and for Banks, it might be just another mission, but for Saskia, it was surely a transformative experience. She witnessed sacrifices, loss of lives, and depths of human vileness—and emerged as a survivor, and there is no possibility of her going back to her old ways.
