unrated, 112 minutes

I’m still not sure if the world needs another World War II movie, but as far as they go, “The Fallen” is one of the better ones. It follows five groups of combatants as they maneuver across wartime Italy. An American supply company is sent to deliver a new radio to the front, but no sooner do they hit the road than their jeep breaks down and they have to hoof it. A group of beleaguered German soldiers are caught between advancing Allied forces and annoying Italian partisans. They’re joined by a ragtag bunch of Italian soldiers who are more concerned with their rations than with fighting. And Rossini, a local bigwig, has a small-time criminal enterprise going, buying vintage wines at cut-rate prices from the Americans. In the middle of it all, the locals are trying to go about their lives without getting shot.

Filmed in English, German, and Italian, it’s all a bit confusing – which is both a strength and a weakness. The director, Ari Taub, made his movie on a shoestring and the film occasionally suffers for it. Tanks materialize out of nowhere, plot lines vanish into thin air, and the music is often forgettable and sometimes annoying. But the low-budget seams don’t show very often, and the characters wind up being people first and soldiers second. “The Fallen” offers less glitz but more story, and Mr. Taub winds up with a war movie that’s both smarter and more compelling than anything cranked out by Hollywood’s A-list in a long time. Ultimately, Mr. Taub bites off just a little bit more than he can chew, but it’s a great meal, nonetheless.