This is one of those films that is hard to describe without employing inventive expletives of the most Anglo Saxon nature. However, I shall try – the synopsis is a British paratroop squad are dropped miles from their drop off point and all but one are wiped out and then the sole survivor, Jonny, has to get back to his lines and grow a pair etc.Now the mistakes pile up faster than an Enron executive planning excuses. He stops to bury the dead, carries a Luger (that always goes down well if one is captured) and wanders about in the 'French' countryside in the total open. Then he meets some other lost solders and they have some unconvincing and lack lustre japes in the Lancashire countryside. Yes that is where this guffathon was filmed North England which surprisingly does not make a good double for Normandy. The special effects are excruciatingly bad. Some of the acting raises a smile but to be extremely fair there are some reasonable performances here ostensibly from Paul Harrison as Jonny, James Boyland as Murphy (don't even get me started on the gay sub plot though) and the American Adam Woodward. Others are less convincing but I think that is mostly because the script is soo contemptibly awful. Language often used is of a modern vocabulary and seems totally incongruous for some Brit Tommies in WW2. It was originally called 'The War I Knew' and is based on actual 'accounts' what are they then? I think it must be that some men dressed up and did some fighting ? Am I even close – well we will never know as these priceless sources are yet to be revealed. I tried to find some positives and apart from the acting – in places – the only other one I can think of is that this is easy to watch on fast forward as you will miss nothing. Not the worst war film ever but one that should be given very serious consideration – avoid like a drunken dance off in a mine field.

As one of the team that runs The Fleapit Cinema Club in Westerham, Kent we have got to know writer/director Ian Vernon well. To date, we have screened three of his films including The War I Knew which was the second showing at our recent UK Independent Film Festival. All three have been extremely well received by our audiences. The dismissive reviews, or rather their tone, are therefore at odds with the response of over 100 people.True independent films often have to look through the other end of the telescope and their joy and incidental purpose is to offer a counter-perspective to blockbuster spectacle. So I will not patronise either Ian or his film by evoking the no-money argument, too often used to justify independent films. While a tight budget (and they don't come tighter than his) can explain the necessity of a certain historical laissez faire when it comes to, say, props and costume, it can never excuse either a poor script or poor acting. So, yes, the uniforms and guns in The War I Knew are not exactly right. If you really want to be picky, some don't even fit – and the guns don't fire. Nor was it shot in France anymore than Star Wars was shot in a galaxy far, far away. But does any of this matter? Of course not – it's a feature film, not a documentary. Besides, these inaccuracies compromise neither the emotional truth of the piece (its great achievement), nor our understanding of its narrative. Are we ever in doubt as to who is English, French or German? But what of the stuff that actually matters? Well, if assessed objectively, the script emerges as crisp, engaging and textured; the story undoubtedly compelling and the acting forceful yet nuanced. When you watch it, look into the actors' eyes, not down at their belt buckles. Do that and you'll find a rewardingly original and revealing take on what happens when people are sent to war.Of course, you may not like it but I know enough people who do to recommend it. Watching any film is a gamble and no film is ever enjoyed by everyone but just because you don't like broccoli, doesn't make it a bad vegetable.

I was hoping for so much more. The opening scene, at night, was so grainy and purple I felt sure it was shot on a cheap smartphone. There is a huge "leap from nowhere" after a completely inadequate "action" scene, in which the protagonist mysteriously teleports from behind a tree into a barn. Rather like the "with one bound, he was free" writing of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Most of the rest seemed to have been borrowed from a tourist promotion for walks in rural France, with the exception of some dreadfully acted scenes which frankly were annoying because I felt that they were on the edge of belittling those who actually were in the war. My overwhelming impression is that it had a budget of about a hundred quid.

I love a good war movie but unfortunately this isn't one.From the opening sequence's where the British "Para's" are about to make a suicidal attack I could tell this was a poorly researched piece of film. The whole production is full of glaring historical mistakes that set the film up to be a massive failure.British Paratroopers wearing R.E.M.E blouses, brodie helmets and using American issued rifles.... 5 minutes on Wikipedia could have saved this productions team some embarrassment and myself 15 minutes of my life I can never get back.1/10