This is a bit of a plodding story in parts, but not without merit.
First, it has an excellent cast: one of my all time favorites, Robert Ryan as Lt. Benson; the much underrated Aldo Ray as Montana, the bully of a sergeant with a soft spot for the Colonel (Robert Keith) who has battle fatigue; James Edwards, an African-American ahead of his time as Sgt. Killian; Nehemiah Persoff as another sergeant, a very young Vic Morrow as a nervous wreck corporal, L.Q. Jones as gutsy Sgt Davis...and so on. All in all, a well-picked crew to portray a platoon of soldiers squeezed between enemy lines in Korea and trying to make it to Hill 465 and break out from the enemy encirclement.
Such a story has been done quite a few times: Pork Chop Hill (1959), once again with James Edwards. Think also of Hell is for Heroes (1962) where a squad holds off overwhelming forces. And, more recently, the elegance of Malick's The Thin Red Line (1998) where still another company must take a hill from the enemy.
Men in War is very much a low budget film, but that pales when you just sit back and let the characters show their stuff. And, blissfully, the music soundtrack remains silent, for a lot of the time; although, the choral group voice-over at the end was just a tad tacky for me. However, the film was made in 1957 and that fact goes a long way to explain that ending. The story, however, gives the viewer a gritty look at how men interact when under stress of being killed. Sure, that's been done before also, but Ryan's and Ray's performances, as they verbally and physically spar, are realistic to the very end.
The black and white photography very much suits the whole setting: a dried up creek bed where the platoon is trapped. From that position, they work their way towards the hill, through snipers, shell barrages and mine fields to finally launch an attack on enemy gun emplacements on the heights. The final battle for the hill is full of the usual pyrotechnics and heroics, and where all but three of the whole platoon is lost, two of whom are Lt. Benson and Sgt Montana a great touch of irony considering they were in direct conflict with each other at the start of the story.
It's well directed by Anthony Mann, famous for El Cid (1961), God's Little Acre (1958) where Robert Ryan and Aldo Ray appear again together, The Tin Star (1957), The Man from Laramie (1955), one of James Stewart's best westerns, and many others. Good fast editing for the action sequences and the use of many low and high angle shots all make for an entertaining action movie. The standout and very suspenseful scene, however, is when Killian is stalked by a pair of enemy assassins while he decorates his helmet with wild flowers. Sounds silly, I know, but it works.
Recommended for all, especially war movie fans.
First, it has an excellent cast: one of my all time favorites, Robert Ryan as Lt. Benson; the much underrated Aldo Ray as Montana, the bully of a sergeant with a soft spot for the Colonel (Robert Keith) who has battle fatigue; James Edwards, an African-American ahead of his time as Sgt. Killian; Nehemiah Persoff as another sergeant, a very young Vic Morrow as a nervous wreck corporal, L.Q. Jones as gutsy Sgt Davis...and so on. All in all, a well-picked crew to portray a platoon of soldiers squeezed between enemy lines in Korea and trying to make it to Hill 465 and break out from the enemy encirclement.
Such a story has been done quite a few times: Pork Chop Hill (1959), once again with James Edwards. Think also of Hell is for Heroes (1962) where a squad holds off overwhelming forces. And, more recently, the elegance of Malick's The Thin Red Line (1998) where still another company must take a hill from the enemy.
Men in War is very much a low budget film, but that pales when you just sit back and let the characters show their stuff. And, blissfully, the music soundtrack remains silent, for a lot of the time; although, the choral group voice-over at the end was just a tad tacky for me. However, the film was made in 1957 and that fact goes a long way to explain that ending. The story, however, gives the viewer a gritty look at how men interact when under stress of being killed. Sure, that's been done before also, but Ryan's and Ray's performances, as they verbally and physically spar, are realistic to the very end.
The black and white photography very much suits the whole setting: a dried up creek bed where the platoon is trapped. From that position, they work their way towards the hill, through snipers, shell barrages and mine fields to finally launch an attack on enemy gun emplacements on the heights. The final battle for the hill is full of the usual pyrotechnics and heroics, and where all but three of the whole platoon is lost, two of whom are Lt. Benson and Sgt Montana a great touch of irony considering they were in direct conflict with each other at the start of the story.
It's well directed by Anthony Mann, famous for El Cid (1961), God's Little Acre (1958) where Robert Ryan and Aldo Ray appear again together, The Tin Star (1957), The Man from Laramie (1955), one of James Stewart's best westerns, and many others. Good fast editing for the action sequences and the use of many low and high angle shots all make for an entertaining action movie. The standout and very suspenseful scene, however, is when Killian is stalked by a pair of enemy assassins while he decorates his helmet with wild flowers. Sounds silly, I know, but it works.
Recommended for all, especially war movie fans.