Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Parker Lewis The Chocolate War is top quality and deals with a range of themes in a private boy's school...power, corruption, the state, conformity. And that's all within the setting of a chocolate fund raiser.Some reviewers have criticized the ending because it's not faithful to the book, and fair enough. But I liked the ending and as someone wrote, it's akin to if you can't fight city hall, join 'em. That's what Jerry Renault (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) did when he beat up Archie Costello (Wallace "CSI" Langham) in the boxing ring.The soundtrack is haunting and it was never released commercially, but you can get the songs from other sources.The acting is top notch and given the small budget (I think only $170,000), Keith Gordon did a masterful job directing this feature.

davros303 My perspective on this film is likely to be unique, in that I've never read the book. The critical reception and most user reviews widely criticize Keith Gordon's re-writing of the book's ending and this was ultimately reflected in its shocking performance at the box office. If you've never read the book, you can effectively ignore all criticism, because The Chocolate War is arguably one of the finest films to explore the dark underbelly of teenage cruelty, manipulation and the childhood induction of the mob mentality and a superb directorial debut for Keith.John Glover's performance as the twisted and politically carnivorous Brother Leon is stunning and easily his best work. With echoes of Lord of the Flies, The Chocolate War explores the outer reaches of cruelty, fear and control exercised by the two antagonistic forces of the student led secret society The Vigils, and the school's acting school head - Brother Leon. Anyone who has ever been bullied or coerced to side with bullies out of the necessity for self-preservation will find a string of painful moments to relate to in this film.The soundtrack is a masterpiece of emotion. The intro to Peter Gabriel's "We Do What We're Told" is used as a recurring musical theme providing an atmospheric backdrop to the web of cruelty and manipulation that unfolds for Jerry the protagonist. But the revelation is the haunting piano of "Shepherd's Song" by Scott Cossu, which holds the space for Jerry's introspection, his loss and the tragedy of his situation.Yes, there are some elements lacking in this film - namely the performance of the hero (Jerry) played by Ilan Mitchell-Smith and some of the dated directorial techniques adopted by Keith Gordon for the flashback sequences and other scenes. However the strength of the story, soundtrack and performances from John Glover and Wallace Langham tower above the film's shortcomings. Keep in mind this was Gordon's feature film directorial debut.I'm not going to comment on the ending, other than to say it works perfectly for the narrative of this film and is in no way disappointing. To the contrary, it still moves me to tears despite more than half a dozen viewings of this film over the years.The Chocolate War is difficult to find but absolutely essential viewing.

gotham23 SPOILER (ending discussed)It's not unusual for screenwriters to tinker with certain story elements when adapting novels for cinema. But in "The Chocolate War", the ending is completely changed, and Cormier's point is totally lost. Pitiful."The Chocolate War" is a story of a young man who dares to stand up against conformity. This is never easy, and with teenagers it can be hell. Jerry Renault is hounded by his classmates (especially "The Vigils", the secret society at school) and pressured by his teachers. But he refuses to back down.Throughout most of the film, Keith Gordon is true to Cormier's vision. But this changes completely at the end. Gordon gives us your standard "feel good, everything's okay" Hollywood ending. Jerry is vindicated, and Archie (leader of The Vigils) gets exactly what he deserves.Well guess what people: life doesn't always work out that way. Sometimes, bad things happen to really good people. Sometimes, bad behavior is rewarded and virtue is punished. That's what happened in Cormier's book, and while it wasn't a wonderful happy ending, it MEANT SOMETHING. It's too bad that Gordon - like most Hollywood hacks - doesn't think his audience can handle that.

wildchipmunk I respectfully disagree with the reviewer who said that "he (Jerry Renault) doesn't win in the end anyway." This was a moral battle -- Jerry Renault represented conscience moral choice fighting against the Vigils' frantic need to keep the corrupt but popular status quo. Jerry's will won... he did not sell chocolates. Other viewers may miss this important point: this story is not about "winning." This story is about the price we pay in order to do what is right. Cormier's story says living according to our own conscience often has a steep price -- but that it is a price infinitely worth paying.