DEVILS OF WAR (2013) – On DVD and Blu-Ray from 15th April

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DEVILS OF WAR aka 101st: A-Company
Directed by Eli Dorsey
Certificate 15

The year is 1944. A crack team of US soldiers are sent into Nazi occupied Poland to extract an undercover agent who’s been spying on the Nazi’s occult experiments. The team: Bill ‘The Chaplain’ Baldy, Adam ‘The Wall’, Jasper ‘The Sniper’ Linnerooth and ‘Black Hercules’. With the Nazi’s procuring virgins for their satanic experiments, the squaddies must drop in behind enemy lines and retrieve their agent with one half of the demonic scroll before hell us unleashed on Earth.

Billed as ‘Iron Sky meets Outpost’ is kind of an insult to Devils of War. It’s more ‘Outpost meets Osombie’ if anything, with Devils of War featuring more Nazi based action than Iron Sky ever did, and a more comprehensible plot to boot. Like Osombie, Devils of War is made with love. Love of film, love of the horror/action genre and the love of budget movies. Devils of War is not meant to be taken seriously and is an absolute hoot to watch. CGI is used when necessary but not overly done. Tricks of old cinema have also been incoporated into the film, especially a scene where the female undercover agent is riding a motorcycle through the Polish countryside. The bike stays static as they use a screen to project the trees behind her whirling past. It’s funny to see and they make no bones about it being obvious. The filmmakers are proud and have put their passion to screen by any means necesssary.

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Our main cast, a trio of soldiers led by the experienced captain, cigar-chomping Bill, are extremely likable from the offset. Bill (Jerry L. Buxbaum) oozes authority as he instructs his men with calm and precision but we get to discover a little too about the man behind the confident exterior, through glimpses of his dog tag bracelet and the horrifying visions that plague him. However, there’s friction throughout most of the film between The Sniper and Black Hercules due to The Sniper’s Southern state raised beliefs against black people. Black Hercules, played by Jammin Watson, becomes a superb character of his own, with a captivatingly cool backstory of how he earned his name in the battle against the Japanese. Wearing a Japanese rising sun bandana knotted around his head and wielding a katana blade which he took from a Japanese soldier he killed, Black Hercules is ready for business and shows off his sword skills against the gun-wielding opposition. Despite his prejudices, Jasper (played by Jeremiah Grace) lives up to his sniper nickname, showcasing his accurate trigger finger and hawk eye for hitting targets.

There’s plenty going on in Devils of War with never a dull moment. With a short running time of around 70 minutes, the film keeps a quick pace with lots to see, enjoy and giggle at. At times the onscreen action is ruthless, in particular a scene between an SS officer and a little Polish girl, whilst others are downright hilarious. One of the funnier scenes is when a Polish woman begs to be deflowered, after being rescued from the Nazis by Bill’s crew. Fearing future capture, she refuses to go home a virgin, so of course both The Sniper and Black Hercules jump at the chance of sampling the local delicacy. Watch out for the scene too where the undercover agent conceals a secret spy camera! 😉

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One of the most enjoyable things of Devils of War for me, as a film fan, was to see how a certain exploitation film, Ilsa She Wolf of the SS by director Don Edmonds, had clearly inspired the Nazi commandant and secretary women in the movie, who feature Ilsa’s trademark blonde hair and buttoned blouse. This look has inspired many from Rob Zombie’s faux Grindhouse trailer, Werewolf Women of the SS, to upcoming movie Go-Go Girls vs The Nazis. The women in the movie play an important role, in particular Solvig Von Bosch (Apple Lee) who’s the film’s antagonist and leader of the SS troops and the occult experiments. Like the Ilsa series, Devils of War is meant to be taken with a pinch of salt, after all, it’s entertainment with the tongue firmly in cheek and I’d say it ticks all those boxes.

Devils of War is an energetic effort from first-time director Eli Dorsey and with a film full to the brim of filmmaking passion as this is, you can’t go wrong. Of course, if you’re looking for a straight, serious war flick, then this probably won’t be up your street. However, if you enjoy B-movies and are a fan of light-hearted action-horror, you’ll enjoy this crazy, demonic, warfare romp.

Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

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About Bat 4364 Articles
I love practical effects, stop-motion animation and gore, but most of all I love a good story! I adore B-movies and exploitation films in many of their guises and also have a soft spot for creature features. I review a wide range of media including movies, TV series, books and videogames. I'm a massive fan of author Hunter S. Thompson and I enjoy various genre of videogames with Kingdom Hearts and Harvest Moon two of my all time favs. Currently playing: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Yakuza Zero and Mafia III.

7 Comments

    • Hi Eli, thanks for getting in touch. I thought the film was fantastic! It was fun yet had solid action scenes too. My kinda movie!

  1. This movie was so bad its not even funny. However someone did have the sense to put some hot blonds in it, that at least is good.

  2. This was like a fun “hammer horror ” film that we used to watch in the late 60s early 70s……. The acting wasn’t it’s best, but plenty of action and yes a few hot ladies to keep me from nodding off. I’d have to give it a fair 4/10

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