Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- foreboding
- austere
- melancholic
- historical cinema night
- war film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a powerful and formally distinctive wartime drama, praised for blending archival footage with an intimate fictional story.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Tom's training and emotional journey are interwoven with documentary images of wartime Britain and the D-Day campaign.
The film's black-and-white presentation reinforces its foreboding account of London, military preparation, and invasion.
Tom is called up as a young lad and undergoes army training before being drawn toward D-Day.
The plot centers on Tom's growing foreboding during training in the approach to D-Day.
Films like Overlord, and why
The Ascent
shared world war ii setting, intimate coming-of-age drama, and somber antiwar atmosphere
The Battle of Algiers
shared historical war drama, documentary-inflected realism, and focus on ordinary soldiers
Saving Private Ryan
shared d-day subject, fatalistic tension, and psychologically grounded military perspective
Hope and Glory
shared black-and-white wartime imagery, poetic historical reconstruction, and youthful vulnerability
Movie Details
- Director
- Stuart Cooper
- Release Date
- 1975-07-01
- Runtime
- 83 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (92)
Cast
- Brian Stirner
- Davyd Harries
- Nicholas Ball
- Julie Neesam
- Sam Sewell
- John Franklyn-Robbins
- Stella Tanner
- Harry Shacklock
- David Scheuer
- Ian Liston
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Overlord about?
- A young recruit's passage through wartime training becomes a stark, foreboding meditation on the human cost of D-Day.
- What is Overlord like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Overlord as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Overlord violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Overlord as brutal.
- What did critics think of Overlord?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a powerful and formally distinctive wartime drama, praised for blending archival footage with an intimate fictional story.
- Which films are like Overlord?
- Films with a similar feel include The Ascent, The Battle of Algiers, Saving Private Ryan, and Hope and Glory.
- How long is Overlord?
- Overlord runs 83 minutes.
- Where can I watch Overlord?
- In United States, Overlord streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max.
