Set in North Africa in December of 1942, “Face of the Enemy” is the story of Lt. Rizzo (Brent King), a combat photographer whose first day on the job is about to change the way his peers look at the Germans. Rizzo, going against orders, follows the troops into combat and winds up accidentally grabbing some German film footage which shows that the enemy isn’t quite the monster Americans have come to believe.
This short film tries to put a more human face on war, and it succeeds, though it is too short to really let us get into the soldiers’ heads. It does a passable job of showing that the Germans are just as human as the Americans, but a little more time spent with both sides would have given this more of an impact.
“Face of the Enemy” is an impressive work, made more so by our current war crisis. It would still be nice to see this idea expanded upon, but until then this is an excellent showcase for what writer/director David Presley is capable of achieving.
