User Reviews

The American Army holds a mass prayer offensive in order to convince God (none other than singer David Johansen in a very inspired piece of casting) to support our country in a major war. With God officially on our side, the army decides to stage a full-scale war. Writer/director Mark Eisenstein brings a deliciously caustic and biting sardonic wit to this gloriously bizarre, scathing, and barbed all-out satirical assault on such worthy targets as the futility and absurdity of war, religion, faith, atheism (gut-busting immortal line: "There are no atheists in foxholes!"), the atrocities committed in war that are supposedly "justified" by religion, and the remarkably stupid machismo of gung-ho military warmongers. Johansen makes for a delightfully hip, suave, and groovy divine being: He sports a chintzy glowing neon plug-in halo, dances on waves, tells racy jokes, gets drunk, smokes cigars, and, best of all, belts out several swingin' renditions of popular religious tunes at a jazzy nightclub (yes, David does indeed sing an amazing version of "He's Got the Whole World (In His Hands)"!). The acting ranges from histrionic to low-key, with stand-out work by Bobby Faust as an ego-maniacal runt general, Joan Marie Moossy as the general's hot and lascivious neglected and adulterous wife, Nick Taylor as ruthlessly ambitious limping clod Colonel Gimpfoot, Tony Machine as obsequious boot licker Colonel Machine, and Eisenstein as a rabbi. Moreover, this film becomes more increasingly daft and outrageous as it unfolds towards its hysterically crazy conclusion and there's a giddy go-for-it irreverence at work throughout that's a terrifically audacious marvel to behold. The use of familiar elegant classical music cues rates as an especially nifty touch. An absolute wacky hoot and a half.