Odd and often mawkish boys' adventure tale with a very vague anti-war message.
At times it feels quite Tom Sawyer-like, but the story doesn't offer any clear-enough parallels to adult warfare to justify the premise or give the audience anything useful to go away with. The little boy who tags along ruining everything early on is first incredibly annoying, then futilely brave, then finally an overwrought martyr. All pleasant enough, but it's not surprising the film is largely forgotten, and it's no great loss if you miss it.
At times it feels quite Tom Sawyer-like, but the story doesn't offer any clear-enough parallels to adult warfare to justify the premise or give the audience anything useful to go away with. The little boy who tags along ruining everything early on is first incredibly annoying, then futilely brave, then finally an overwrought martyr. All pleasant enough, but it's not surprising the film is largely forgotten, and it's no great loss if you miss it.