The last days of World War I, Eastern front. Captain Conan, a lone wolf, a true warrior, leads a band of ruthless French fighters who love hand-to-hand combat; they are not fit for peacetime, they only feel really alive in the chaos of the battlefield.
Acting
Torreton's physicality—he moves like violence personified.
Direction
Tavernier refuses to glorify what he clearly understands.
Writing
The court-martial scenes slice deeper than any bayonet.
Director
Bertrand Tavernier
Philippe Torreton
Captain Conan
Samuel Le Bihan
Norbert
Bernard Le Coq
Lieutenant De Scève
Catherine Rich
Madeleine Erlane
François Berléand
Commander Bouvier
Claude Rich
General Pitard de Lauzier
André Falcon
Colonel Voirin
Claude Brosset
Père Dubreuil
Cécile Vassort
Georgette
François Levantal
Forgeol
Pierre Val
Jean Erlane
Frédéric Pierrot
Chef de train
Jean-Claude Calon
Officier greffier Loisy
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Tavernier fought producers who wanted a 'prettier' war; he shot in actual Balkan mud.
The film bombed in France—veterans found it too raw, critics found it too sympathetic to killers.
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