A traditional old-time war movie complete with easily identifiable stock characters, roughly delivered dialog and overly theatrical death. With all of its conventionality, it still manages to stumble a little as it struggles to settle on a point. This film about a war corespondent (Robert Mitchum) who gets wrapped up in an ambush has its, hey I'm a war movie made during the Vietnam Era vibes. At the same time, since this wasn't made today, the directors weren't as comfortable crapping all over our troops while they were still fighting and dying - today, if you don't crap on our soldiers and imply they're murderers you're some pro-McBushie Muslim baby killer. The film suffers from some odd choices because of this duality, being a pro-war/anti-war movie. At one point Mitchem ponders the emotional depths (well, as deeply as he was able to delve into them given his stoic delivery) while the war rages around him. This kind of break from reality cuts deeply into the film's credibility and distracts from what should be a great film.

Concerning the performances, Robert Mitchum plays Robert Mitchum in this one. His leaden persona hangs a little heavy on the production but Peter Falk easily lightens things up with a relaxed, comfortable performance.

Overall, this film has some significant flaws, there's no doubting that. These flaws can be forgiven thanks to some very good patchwork, battle sequences and the inclusion of Peter Falk in the proceedings. I do recommend the film, but not as something you should hunt down. If you're flipping through the channels or if absolutely nothing else is available, you can fall back on this pick.


Related Reviews:
War movies
The Longest Day (1962)
The Big Red One (1980)


Other Critic's Reviews:
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Roger Ebert

Labels: film, movie review, Peter Falk, Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan, war, World War II