Skip to content
HOLLYWOOD METRICS
HomeAboutCraftNewsAnalyticsScriptsBooksPricingAPIMCP
Catalog/Drama/Cross of Iron
Cross of Iron poster
B
Strong
MASTER SCORE 64.0 / 100
1977·Drama / War / Action·1h 59m

CROSS OF IRON

“On the Eastern front in 1943, the German soldiers no longer had any ideals. They were not fighting for the Party—but for their lives!”

It is 1943, and the German army—ravaged and demoralised—is hastily retreating from the Russian front. In the midst of the madness, conflict brews between the aristocratic yet ultimately pusillanimous Captain Stransky and the courageous Corporal Steiner. Stransky is the only man who believes that the Third Reich is still vastly superior to the Russian army. However, within his pompous persona lies a quivering coward who longs for the Iron Cross so that he can return to Berlin a hero. Steiner, on the other hand is cynical, defiantly non-conformist and more concerned with the safety of his own men rather than the horde of military decorations offered to him by his superiors.

Above the Line
Sam Peckinpah·DirectorJames Hamilton·ScreenplayJulius J. Epstein·ScreenplayJohn Coquillon·Director of PhotographyErnest Gold·Original Music ComposerTony Lawson·Editor
Cast
James Coburn·Unteroffizier / Feldwebel Rolf SteinerMaximilian Schell·Hauptmann StranskyJames Mason·Oberst BrandtDavid Warner·Hauptmann KieselKlaus Löwitsch·Unteroffizier KrügerVadim Glowna·Gefreiter KernRoger Fritz·Leutnant TreibigDieter Schidor·AnselmBurkhard Driest·Schütze MaagFred Stillkrauth·Unteroffizier Schnurrbart
Full Crew
(30 credits)
Directing· 2
Sam Peckinpah·DirectorBert Batt·Assistant Director
Writing· 5
James Hamilton·ScreenplayJulius J. Epstein·ScreenplayWalter Kelley·ScreenplayHerbert Asmodi·WriterWilli Heinrich·Novel
Camera· 4
John Coquillon·Director of PhotographyHerbert Smith·Camera OperatorBranko Knez·First Assistant CameraDennis Fraser·Grip
Editing· 5
Tony Lawson·EditorMurray Jordan·EditorMichael Ellis·EditorHerbert Taschner·Additional EditingMark Winitsky·Editorial Services
Sound & Music· 4
Ernest Gold·Original Music ComposerJohn Richards·MusicErnest Gold·MusicGerard Schurmann·Orchestrator
Art & Design· 4
Harold Michelson·Art DirectionVeljko Despotović·Art DirectionBrian Ackland-Snow·Production DesignTed Haworth·Production Design
Production· 5
Wolf C. Hartwig·ProducerAlex Winitsky·ProducerArlene Sellers·ProducerKatherine Haber·Production AssistantLothar H. Krischer·Co-Producer
Other Departments· 1
Richard Richtsfeld·Special Effects
By the Numbers
64.0
OF 100
Master Score
7.4
OF 10
IMDb
72%
CRITICS
Rotten Tomatoes
$2M
ROI -75%
Worldwide Gross
0
Oscar Wins
Where to Watch

THE AVAILABILITY MAP

The canonical record of where this film lives across the streaming map.

Provider Index In Progress

Streaming, rental, and purchase availability for this title is being ingested from the TMDB watch-providers feed and will appear here once the next catalog refresh runs. Until then, the canonical source links below remain the fastest route.

Find on TMDB
Poster DNA

THE VISUAL DECONSTRUCTION

A bespoke vision agent's reading of the design language behind Cross of Iron's key art.

Dominant Palette
3 colors
#FFFFFF
#C00000
#808080
Mood
Grim, Intense
Composition
Centered
Era
1970s
Visual Style
Illustrated

“The movie poster features a dramatic illustration of a German soldier lying prone on a white surface, possibly snow, with barbed wire around him. He is wearing ”

wardrama
Key Elements
SoldierHelmetUniformBarbed WireIron Cross MedalTanks
Atmosphere
Gritty
Color Mood
Mixed
Setting
None Visible
Design Score
7/10
More Like This

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Neighboring films in the catalog's similarity graph.

Keep Going

THREE WAYS DEEPER

Auteur
AUT
MORE BY SAM PECKINPAH

Every catalog entry where Sam Peckinpah is credited as director.

Open
Family
GEN
MORE DRAMA

Top-ranked films inside drama, sorted by master score.

Open
Era
DEC
MORE FROM THE 1970S

The best films of the 1970s, ranked across every available metric.

Open
View on IMDbView on TMDBCatalog
HOLLYWOOD METRICS

The definitive mathematical oracle for cinematic success and creative script intelligence.

74,000+ Films100 Years1.1M+ Reviews
PRODUCT
  • Dashboard
  • Pricing
  • Script Analysis
  • Watch the Demo
  • The Red List
  • News
  • Analytics
  • API
  • MCP Connector
COMPANY
  • About
  • Track Record
  • Trust & Script Privacy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
CONNECT
  • ▶YouTube
  • ◉Instagram
  • ♪TikTok
  • @Threads
  • fFacebook
Get Started Free →
© 2026 Hollywood Metrics. All rights reserved.Powered by bespoke agents and autonomous agentic workflows