War of the Buttons Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

War of the Buttons Blu-ray Movie Review

The kids are all right, eventually.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III September 25, 2024

Based on a 1912 novel adapted to film several times before and since, John Roberts' 1994 drama War of the Buttons follows two groups of boys from adjacent Irish towns as their tiny little rivalry gradually boils over. The tone is mostly light and humorous but may shock new viewers not accustomed to the more rough-and-tumble behavior of previous generations, when settling differences often got physical and rarely involved any adult intervention. Parents only play a minor role and the boys' firm but loving teacher (Liam Cunningham) might have more speaking lines than any other grown-up... so kids rule the day in War of the Buttons, and we're along for the ride whether we like it or not.

Things don't exactly start off slow: a disagreement over fund-raising tickets leads to a tense showdown at the chalk-drawn boundary between neighboring towns Carrickdowse and Ballydowse, and it ends when one of the youngest boys, Little Con (Anthony Cunningham), is almost dropped head-first into the river after de facto Bally leader Fergus (Gregg Fitzgerald) arrives too late. Fergus is a kid of modest means with a stressed mom, an abusive stepdad, and worn-out clothes that make might normally make him something of an outcast... but his leadership skills earn respect from the mostly younger kids, and they're all too happy to be led into battle by their charismatic leader. This back-and-forth rivalry has apparently always existed but quickly escalates during the next few days and weeks with vandalism, screamed obscenities ("tosspot" is a big favorite), and a few sticks and stones but no broken bones.

Soon a more tangibly destructive plan is enacted when Carrick boy "Gorilla" (Paul Batt), the oafish right-hand man of group leader Jerome AKA "Geronimo" (John Coffey), is stripped of his buttons and sent home half-naked... and thus begins "The War of the Buttons", in which each side collects as many of these small trophies as possible. The Ballys keep this ever-growing collection in a bowl at their homemade headquarters with the help of Marie (Eveanna Ryan, who also occasionally narrates), one of the only girls in the main ranks of their club. All manner of unusual tactics is used to gain the upper hand, with the primary goal not necessarily physical or lasting harm but a sense of stubborn superiority for their respective towns. Meanwhile, one of the only real voices of reason is the Ballys' teacher known only as "The Master", who certainly doesn't outright encourage their destructive behavior but at least attempts to understand it while offering the firm guidance and even-handed advice that many of them aren't getting at home.

Curiously there are certain lines that neither side will cross, but naturally the increasing tension leads to an act that immediately halts their conflict: property destruction at the hands of a defector that ensures the adults will finally get involved, and interestingly enough it's here where we see that this is actually learned behavior and one of several reasons why the town rivalry has endured throughout at least several decades. War of the Buttons' tone ensures that there isn't a fatalistic ending; it's not necessarily joyful either, but at least nostalgically reminiscent of similarly sturdy coming-of-age films like Stand by Me where temporary childhood turbulence leads to lifelong bonds.

All told it's an interesting slice of cinema with a clever perspective, although I wouldn't say that this adaptation of War of the Buttons is necessarily suitable for younger audiences. Its tone is never outright pessimistic but the story's more subtle statements might get lost on those who focus only on these boys' sporadically cruel actions... so while I normally might call a film like this "timeless", for some it'll be like stepping into an uncomfortable new world and their experience could feel more cold and distant. Nonetheless, I consider it to be a solid piece of filmmaking with great performances young and old, and of course the beautiful rural landscapes add their own flavor to this unique stew. Warner Archive's welcome new Blu-ray edition plays to its technical strengths and will impress fans and first-timers alike.

War of the Buttons Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

War of the Buttons features no shortage of pastoral Irish landscapes that stand in great contrast to its working-class 1960s home and school interiors. As such it plays well with Warner Archive's sturdy and organic 1080p transfer, one that features excellent fine detail, an entirely natural color palette, and wavering film grain levels typically dependent on lighting conditions. The film's extremely lived-in appearance makes this Blu-ray a standout in all the usual technical areas including deep black levels and carefully-dialed contrast, with only a handful of scenes -- especially one or two shot in near pitch-black conditions -- overshadowed by excessive noise. Otherwise it's mostly all great news here: the entire film plays smoothly from start to finish on this dual-layered disc with a supportively high bit rate, and only trace levels of macro-blocking interfere with what's essentially a near-perfect presentation that clearly outpaces all previous home video releases (the last being WAC's own 2010 DVD) and likely even theatrical showings.

War of the Buttons Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Not far behind is War of the Buttons' DTS-HD 2.0 Master audio track, a surprisingly robust and well-engineered mix that's obviously dialogue heavy but opens up quite frequently during sporadic scenes of tension and action as well as frequent group conversations. There's a strong amount of channel separation and width here and much of this extra weight arrives in the form of lively music cues by British composer Rachel Portman, who only two years later would be the first female to win an Academy Award for Best Original Score for Emma with two more nominations in more recent years. Only occasional amounts of mild hiss and gauziness could be heard in stray conversations, although just about every other sonic element here shows no realistic room for improvement.

Most of the dialogue is cleanly recorded and intelligible, but the optional English (SDH) subtitles might occasionally help to decipher War of the Buttons' numerous regional accents.

War of the Buttons Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with vintage poster-themed cover artwork and no inserts of any kind. Bonus features are limited to the film's original trailer, which is presented in rough but watchable condition. Pipe dream, but how cool would a "kids reunion" commentary or series of catch-up interviews have been?

• Theatrical Trailer (1:47) - This vintage promotional piece can also be seen here.

War of the Buttons Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

John Roberts' 1994 drama War of the Buttons is one of several film adaptations of Louis Pergaud's enduring 1912 novel and it might be the best. It's a lively, heartfelt, and very well-paced production with great performances from the child and adult actors alike, though it's not necessarily recommended for younger viewers not used to the much more rough-and-tumble mischief that their parents (or grandparents) might have gotten into back in the day. Warner Archive's new Blu-ray serves the film well with very solid A/V merits and thus comes Recommended to the right crowd.