WWII: The Long Road Home (2017) User Reviews

Get a life

[tarquinthethird · 5/10 · 5 February 2022]

All the haters who have written totally negative reviews need to ask themselves if they or any of the spawn would have been able to do any better at 15 years old. Yes certain actors were wooden but the cinematography was very good imo.

I have no doubt some of the earlier efforts of what are now seen as great, would have been questionable.

GET A LIFE!

YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!

Probably the worst acting I have ever seen

[mikeinbath · 1/10 · 24 December 2020]

Massively disappointed in this film, as I was looking forward to it. The acting is abysmal, like worse than a school play. The lead actor, can't act. There is a scene where a general or major talks to a sergeant about an operation, the general looks terrified, eye darting all over the place. Not because of fear, because the director has shouted 'action'!

Woeful film and 'The next Spielberg' he ain't. I want a refund!

Diabolical

[thebritwhitz · 2/10 · 24 December 2020]

I didn't need to hear of the budget this film was put together on. I'd already have been able to guess in the first 10 seconds. The blessing being its only 75 minutes long!

Made on a shoestring and it shows

[markdavison-91796 · 1/10 · 22 January 2021]

The box says the director is the next Spielberg. Well if I were Spielberg I'd sue for defamation of character! This is the worst acting I've ever seen and the directing and production is dire. I paid £3 for this at Asda and it was overpriced! I had to give it 1 star as 0 stars wasn't available. Save your money even if it's only £3!

A* for A Level or a very good University film, but not good for this release.

[j-vincent-2 · 2/10 · 26 February 2021]

Acting at times is poor. Cinematography lacks finesse. Clunky in places, but for a teenager's film, it is a worthy effort. However, still 2 out of 10. Maybe with the funding in future, he'll turn out good.

We'll be home by Christmas

[nogodnomasters · 1/10 · 7 November 2020]

Charlie (Elliott Hasler) who is an Englishman enlists in WWII and leaves his young bride (Alice Rogers) behind. He is shipped off to Africa and believes he will be home soon. He is captured and taken to Italy, where he eventually escapes and travels by foot until the end of the war writing letters.

The film was boring. It will put you to sleep. The sound, acting, and camera work was not up to par. I don't understand why everyone who owns a camera feels they must tell us a story about an ancestor who walked across Europe during the war. More boring than that WWI film everybody liked.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

Wtf

[keetolog · 10/10 · 5 April 2021]

Worst movie I've ever seen, terrible acting, looks like it was shot on a bank security camera, horrible cgi. All the budget probably went to the picture on the damn box. However it was so freaking bad that I could not stop watching it. I'm still watching as I'm writing there's about 5 minutes left and I still don't know the characters names. All in all disaster of a movie but the guy who actually did this stuff seeing how it is based on a true story definitely a cool story for that guy to be telling, the story it's self is great.

Fantastically moving film!

[bencolyer · 10/10 · 23 July 2017]

Elliot, what can I say? An excellent film that truly portrays the talent you possess. Your ability to create such a fantastic tribute to your grandparents Charlie and Tup would only have made them proud. I particularly enjoyed the ending and the way you managed to bring to past into the present and the reality that the war and everything we saw in that movie wasn't that long ago. Fantastic work Elliot, keep up the good work and I'll look forward to a starring role in your next movie?!

War's Sorrow and Eventual Joyous Relief

[orangeeoin · 10/10 · 25 July 2017]

Chalie's Letters (2017), director Elliott Hasler's moving and ambitious tale of his great-grandfather's experiences during the Second World War, exposes the audience not only to the raw emotions of conflict but equally to a rising new talent in the world of independent cinema.

Following POW Charlie Standing (also played by Elliot) across the idyllic Italian countryside, we learn of the Hasler family's epic fable of sacrifice and bravery. Shadowing Charlie's personal battle for freedom across the peninsula, is his beloved Ivy's battle against loneliness and the worry of a soldier's wife. Ivy 'Tup' Standing (played by Alice Rogers) gives a powerful performance - exploring the themes of motherhood and temptation among the ever so slightly alien streets of wartime Brighton.

For a film to be shot, directed and starred in by one man is a feat in and of itself. But when you consider this was all undertaken by someone only sixteen years of age, you gain a true appreciation of the film's depth and quality. There are sweeping vistas, moments of violence and shock, protracted silences that say more than a host dialogue, and even dodgy Italian accents(!); brought to us by none other than Elliott's father (David Hasler) - proving once and for all how personal this glorious labour of love is for Elliot's family.

Charlie's Letters is a film that does not shy away from life, so I insist, do not shy away from this genuine gem.

Moving Film by Young Director

[smithea-77241 · 16 August 2017]

Aesthetically gorgeous film that captures the attention of the audience in this moving true story. The characters who propel the protagonist forward feel authentic. The acting of the protagonist belied his age, and well-captured the breadth of emotions expected in a story with this gravitas. Worth seeing, bittersweet movie.

The Futility Of War

[themightygib-05065 · 8/10 · 15 August 2017]

Made on a comparative shoestring over 3 years, this creative telling of a young father's WWII experience as he strives to return home to his family showcases the creative talent of its teenage writer, director...and actor, Elliott Hasler.

Pieced together from conversations with his great-grandfather, the story unfolds over several months as young Charlie is first captured by the Italians in Africa before finding a freedom of sorts, although there remains the small matter of surviving for months in occupied Italy. Interspersed with scenes from home in Brighton as his young wife (Tup) struggles to bring up their young son, Charlie encounters both friend and foe as he travels North and, ultimately, home.

With some musings on the futility of war, this is an astonishing debut feature that sets a solid foundation for a rising talent in the UK film industry.

Incredible!!!

[grantybaz · 9/10 · 17 August 2017]

An absolutely amazing film production with a compelling WW2 story that is deserving of a far wider audience. I was kept on the edge of my seat for the full feature and at the end left wanting more from this newly turned 17 year old film maker who clearly has a unique talent and a great future ahead of him.Some of the outstanding camera work and effects was made even more impressive to me since Elliott only used a fairly standard camera and iPhone to produce this film.I look forward to your next film but only after you've passed your A Levels!Good luck!