My review was written in June 1990 after watching the movie on Republic Pictures video cassette.
Joe Dallesandro gives an effective character performance in the above-average action drama "Private War". Completed 18 months ago, pic comes off the self to become a direct-to-video title.
Known from his stardom 20 years ago in Andy Warhol/Paul Morrissey's hits like "Flesh" and "Trash", Dallesandro is cast against type as a very tough special force sergeant who's gone off the deep end. Early in the film he's relieved of his command due to physically terrorizing his soldiers, stationed at an Army Airborne infantry unit in Northern Italy.
Notable target for his venom is Martin Hewitt, shoes dad served with Dallesandro in Vietnam and is still listed as missing in action. Actually, he died when Dallesandro left him behind in combat to save his own skin, guilt for which has turned him latterly into a psycho.
Though dwelling on a corny subplot of corrupt military brass and self-styled patriots on a hunting expedition (with Kimberly Beck as the tight-sweatered investigative reporter trying to expose them), film develops panache in the final reels.
Filmed atmospherically in Yugoslavia on actual sites of World War II battles, the payoff of Dallesandro having trained Hewitt to be his executioner is thematically resonant and well played. Cruel finish takes an overly despairing view of humanity.
Spitting out colorful, unexpurgated dialog and looking the part with a butch military haircut, Dallesandro is surprisingly convincing in an acting stretch. Framl DePalma's direction is well-paced and photography by Karpo Godina (a director in his own right, repped at the Cannes festival by "Artificial Paradise") is firstrate.
