A basic but nicely made platoon movie, shot entirely in the great outdoors. It's supposed to be Korea but there's not much Korea in it. There are a few anonymous North Korean bad guys to fight. It doesn't get into the politics of the war (there is a brief reference to the UN).
Instead, it gives us a soldier's-eye view. In this it's very effective. It plays almost like a submarine movie set in the hills-- all group tension and unwanted surprises and a lot of slinking about in bleak landscapes. There are almost no battle scenes. There's not much shooting, and the only vehicle we see is a jeep. Instead, Mann focuses on the men. With one exception, we are given no background at all on any of them; we just see them as they are, as if we were attached to the platoon. Mann makes excellent use of the actors' faces, often filling the frame with them in ones and twos and threes in different compositions. Perhaps the most intriguing character is the mute, shell-shocked colonel (beautifully played, Falconetti-style, by Robert Keith). The acting is far better than usual for a B movie. The ending is a bit disappointing, but overall it's worth seeing.
Instead, it gives us a soldier's-eye view. In this it's very effective. It plays almost like a submarine movie set in the hills-- all group tension and unwanted surprises and a lot of slinking about in bleak landscapes. There are almost no battle scenes. There's not much shooting, and the only vehicle we see is a jeep. Instead, Mann focuses on the men. With one exception, we are given no background at all on any of them; we just see them as they are, as if we were attached to the platoon. Mann makes excellent use of the actors' faces, often filling the frame with them in ones and twos and threes in different compositions. Perhaps the most intriguing character is the mute, shell-shocked colonel (beautifully played, Falconetti-style, by Robert Keith). The acting is far better than usual for a B movie. The ending is a bit disappointing, but overall it's worth seeing.