Men in War

MEN IN WAR is reportedly director Anthony Mann's personal favorite. Mann thought he could invest every asset of his personal beliefs into this film. Raw psychology of fighting men, dynamism of landscape and a conflict between two different moral standards. Beyond any doubt MEN IN WAR is those things.The film is the most simple war tale which I have ever seen. Yet, it is sometimes more powerful and obseving than ATTACK! or PATHS OF GLORY. We don't see any domineering generals, flash back family memory of the soldiers, smart tactics, or phony patriotism. A platoon was cut off from bigger outfit in unknown Korean land, and the platoon must make effort to rejoin with the big stuff for its survival. Consequently, the film offers us an almost endless march of exhausted soldiers. Of course we will see some actions including shooting, bambing, exploding, and attacking along the way, but they are treated with quite restrained manner, so that the entire texture of the film remains strangely calm and even beautifully meditative. I would say that is quite unique and innovatively original for a war film, and I believe that is why MEN IN WAR proves itself as a cinematic art. By encountering this silent yet dreadful atmosphere, we are able to sense meaninglessness of war, and stupidity of mankind. Furthermore, the film itself does not make any ovbious judgement, and this uplifts the film to an almost philosophical poem.Lt.Benson, a leader of the platoon, played by Robert Ryan, is a steady officer who tries to do everything to save his men, however he mercilessly confiscates a jeep from an unwell colonel and his subordinate. Sgt. Montana, the opponent of Benson, played by Aldo Ray, is a deserted soldier with rude attitude, but he sincerely respects his unwell colonel. These two deliver excellent performances and they have succeeded to project the film's depth and sophisticated ambiguity.MEN IN WAR persuades us to make our own reasoning of mankind. So, I must admit the film is an existential masterpiece from its director and it proved Anthony Mann was a great cinematic philosopher.

Not the most original insight, but one worth remembering. The impact of the Korean War on 20th Century America has been woefully understated. This is particularly true when compared to Vietnam when Americans woke up to our policy of carnage. It's indisputable that, between those two wars, Korea was worse. (58,220 American military casualties in Vietnam. 2 million civillians. Korea saw 54,246 Americans die, 2,730,000 civilians, approximately 20% of the population. North Korea was subjected to massive firebombing over 3 years, courtesy of General LaMay. Pyongyang was razed to the ground.)That's the background to this film. It concerns a group of solders given an impossible task. They must capture a hill, while negotiating their way through a Dantesque landscape. Death comes at them sideways and without warning. The toll upon the men is made palpable, most obviously in the characters of a shell-shocked colonel and a battle-hardened sergeant. The question of maintaining a sense of humanity in a hellscape is forefront. Some do, Some have given up.The film has aged surprisingly well. We are presented with a sense exhaustion that borders on hopelessness. The choice to film this in B&W lends itself well to the task. Color would have been a distraction. I personally appreciate a film that explores warfare without graphic detail. We don't see bodies blown apart. It's not necessary. We can surmise.The one quibble I have is with the score. It tends to be bombastic. The acting is superb. Underlining it with this score seems excessive.

great

The filmmakers were obviously trying to address some of the psychological issues of warfare. However they've done it in such an over-the-top fashion that it becomes caricature. The unit depicted is entirely undisciplined. The men call the coward "sick". This would never happen. Men in combat aren't going to risk themselves to protect a coward. Each and every order given by the officer is argued with. The supposed platoon sergeant panics at the thought of being in a mine field. Later a deserter shows up in a jeep with another mentally collapsed Colonel and states his intention to go back to the States.There's more, but the effect of all this is to depict the most useless bunch of non-soldiers ever. Rather than feel any empathy for the horrors that combat soldiers undergo I found myself either laughing or yelling at the Captain to shoot one of the unruly disobedient soldiers in front of the others. Cripes. The funniest scene is where the rear guard takes a break and puts flowers in his helmet.This was the Korean War not some Haight-Ashbury fantasy. If the filmmakers had played it lower key and only had one or maybe two characters with severe issues I think it would have been better. Having done a tour in Vietnam I think I know a bit about stress under combat. Cracking up is a luxury that usually happens in the rear. This movie does a disservice to the soldiers. Though I'm sure that was not the intent of the filmmakers. In this case less would have been more.Oops. Now that I've admitted I did a tour in Nam I suppose that will invalidate my review. We're all crazy, you know, and brainwashed tools of the Imperialist American Murder Machine yada yada more sophomoric idiocy yada yada Bush Cheney yada yada Zionist tools yada yada....

One of the better movies on the Korean War.

not impressed and unhappy about it

good movie and good price as to be expected from amazon.ca

thank you fast shipping verry good item

Little known Anthony Mann film about early days of of Korean done without Pentagon assistance; strictly about survival. Surprised and elated to get in on Blu-ray.