Darkest Night

Adapted from the Kurt Vonnegut novel, this film seemed destined to fail-- how could anyone capture the flat martini flavor of Vonnegut’s famously terse prose in a movie? How could anyone dramatize the life of his ineffectual characters? Apparently, a strong cast and some inventive direction go a long way.

Nick Nolte brings an overwhelming sense of resignation to the role of Henry W. Campbell, an American writer in Germany during WWII who becomes a Nazi in order to spy for the USA. Campbell is no 007: he delivers short coded messages in his weekly pro-Nazi radio talks. The most fascinating aspect of his life is played to good effect: Campbell’s devotion to his bride Helga, remarkably portrayed by Sheryl Lee, gives his life meaning, only to ultimately demonstrate how fundamentally meaningless Campbell’s life really is. John Goodman and Alan Arkin also contribute memorably.

This film has been largely overlooked, but it deserves, demands to be seen: as an affectless yet moving drama, as an unsentimental look at World War II, as a powerful statement about living a lie.