Beneath Hill 60

War movies are a minefield. Either the grim truth of battle gets muddied by an audience's expectations of happy endings (clear-cut heroes and villains and good triumphing over evil), or the weight of history crushes story and turns a worthy tale into a cinema bomb.

The last Australian war film, 2006's Kokoda - directed by Alister Grierson, who is currently in Queensland helming $30 million 3D epic Sanctum for producer James Cameron - was typical of a film caught in the Art vs Truth crossfire, sacrificing cohesive story for co-funding (and thus meddling) from the Australian War Memorial.

But Australia's latest war film, Beneath Hill 60, sidesteps expectation. "If this story wasn't true," says star Brendan Cowell, "you dead-set wouldn't believe it."

He's right. Who knew a company of WWI Aussie diggers was responsible for what was then the largest man-made explosion in history, a 1917 detonation that smashed open the German frontline and led directly to the Allies' victory the next year?

Not even renaissance man Cowell, 34. "The fact this beautiful, complicated, demented, heroic story was virtually untold until now tells me we've all been too caught up in our double mortgages and decorating our personal playgrounds to care about real Australian stories and dark parts of our history," the poet, playwright, director and soon-to-be-author says.

Beneath Hill 60 - based on a book by Will Davies - casts Cowell as Captain Oliver Woodward - "miner turned soldier turned strategist turned killer" - and commander of the 1st Australian Tunnelling Division, a motley crew of former miners turned soldiers who fought a silent, terrifying war 30 metres under the Western Front.

"These were the original 'Diggers' - men dealing with the huge psychological issues of war through camaraderie, humour, humility and chivalry," says Cowell, who admits he based his characterisation of Woodward on ex-Australian cricket captain, Steve Waugh, the modern personification of ANZAC credos "courage, endurance, mateship, sacrifice".

The cast - which includes Gyton Grantley, Aden Young and Anthony Hayes - did their damnedest to live and breathe ANZAC hardship. "The boys went off on a week-long boot camp, sleeping rough, firing shotguns and drinking rum out of billycans," Cowell laughs.

Director Jeremy Sims engineered a "brutal" shoot that left Cowell and co "thrashed, battered and bruised". "From Scene One, we shelved egos and vowed ‘No whinging, no complaints, no cabaret'... but it's hard to maintain the 1,000-yard stare of an ANZAC when there's a French chef and make-up truck on standby." Angus Fontaine

Check out these Aussie war movies

Breaker Morant (1980)

***** (5 bullets)
Conflict: Boer War
Bruce Beresford's courtroom classic is no bore and won Jack Thompson the best actor prize at Cannes.

Gallipoli (1981)

***** (5 bullets)
Conflict: WWI
Peter Weir's beloved film of friendship forged in war's crucible remains enshrined in hearts.

Attack Force Z (1982)

*** (3 bullets)
Conflict: WWII
Mel Gibson leads his Z-Squad commandos into the jungle in this B-Grade bullet-fest.

The Odd Angry Shot (1979)

 **** (4 bullets)
Conflict: Vietnam
Piss-ups and pathos as Graham Kennedy goes ga-ga alongside an all-star cast in ‘Nam.

Kokoda (2006)

** (2 bullets)
Conflict: WWII
Jack Finsterer excels but weight of expectation crushes plot and leads this one down the wrong track.