Monday Morning Maybe

Add your email and we'll match picks to the services you stream at home.

Poster for Cross of Iron

Cross of Iron

Seen it?

1977 | 133 min | Drama, Action, History, War

Weeknight Watch

Why it’s a Weeknight Watch

With a box office loss, it's a mixed bag. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for action fans and history buffs. If you loved Fury or Schindler's List, start here.
The mood
Intense.
The pace
Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr 13 min.
What might put you off
  • Rated R: meant for adults.
  • Made in 1977: an older pace and style.

It is 1943, and the German army—ravaged and demoralised—is hastily retreating from the Russian front. In the midst of the madness, conflict brews between the aristocratic yet ultimately pusillanimous Captain Stransky and the courageous Corporal Steiner. Stransky is the only man who believes that the Third Reich is still vastly superior to the Russian army. However, within his pompous persona lies a quivering coward who longs for the Iron Cross so that he can return to Berlin a hero. Steiner, on the other hand is cynical, defiantly non-conformist and more concerned with the safety of his own men rather than the horde of military decorations offered to him by his superiors.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsSolid

    71% on Rotten Tomatoes, 64 on Metacritic

  • AudiencesSolid

    7.1 out of 10

  • AwardsNot counted

    No major awards or nominations

  • Box office & staying powerBelow par

    $2 million worldwide on a $6 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactSolid

    About 92K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

More like this

Want more like this, picked just for you? Get my picks

Cast & crew

Directed by Sam Peckinpah

  • James CoburnUnteroffizier / Feldwebel Rolf Steiner
  • Maximilian SchellHauptmann Stransky
  • James MasonOberst Brandt
  • David WarnerHauptmann Kiesel
  • Klaus LöwitschUnteroffizier Krüger
  • Vadim GlownaGefreiter Kern
  • Roger FritzLeutnant Treibig
  • Dieter SchidorAnselm
  • Burkhard DriestSchütze Maag
  • Fred StillkrauthUnteroffizier Schnurrbart