ɹˈɑːdʒɚɹ ˈɛbɚt "ɐdmˈaɪɚd ðə mˈuːvi" ænd stˈeɪɾᵻd ðætˈɪt "ɹᵻzˈɛmbəlz nˈʌθɪŋ sˈoʊ mˌʌtʃ æz wˈʌn ʌv ðoʊz dˈaʊnbiːt, plˈɑːdɪŋ, kwˈaɪətli hˈɔːɹɪfˌaɪɪŋ, ænd sˈʌmtaɪmz ɡɹˈɪmli fˈʌni wˈɔːɹ mˈuːvɪz ðæt jˈuːzd təbi mˌeɪd baɪ ðə bɹˈɪɾɪʃ fˈɪlm ˈɪndʌstɹi, bˈæk wɛn ðɛɹwˌʌz ɐ bɹˈɪɾɪʃ fˈɪlm ˈɪndʌstɹi."
Roger Ebert "admired the movie" and stated that it "resembles nothing so much as one of those downbeat, plodding, quietly horrifying, and sometimes grimly funny war movies that used to be made by the British film industry, back when there was a British film industry."