Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

Rijndri Load of rubbish!!

Pluskylang Great Film overall

Kidskycom It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

Woodyanders May, 1953. The last days of the Korean war. Naive and idealistic Private Roy Loomis (a sound and sympathetic performance by Robert Redford in his film debut) gets sent to the front lines as a replacement in a platoon. Loomis meets crazed and reclusive soldier Raymond Endore (splendidly played with frightening remoteness by John Saxon), an aloof loner who sneaks behind enemy lines on a nightly regular basis and butchers rival soldiers. The officers in command know about Endore's activities, but let it slide because he obtains valuable information during his nocturnal excursions. Loomis decides to stand up to Endore in order to save orphan boy Charlie (a touching portrayal by Tommy Matsuda) from Endore's possibly dangerous influence. Director Denis Sanders, working from a tight, literate, and incisive script by Stanford Whitmore, presents a compellingly gritty, realistic and unglamorous depiction of the darker aspects of war, specifically showing how war allows stone psychos like Endore the readily available opportunity to engage in brutal exploits that would never be acceptable and permissible in the everyday peaceful civilian world. This film astutely nails the horror and humanity of warfare: The one big combat sequence is genuinely harrowing while Endore's relationship with Charlie is truly moving. Endore makes for a fascinatingly complex character; the sight of Endore with mud painted on his face is very chilling, his acts of cold-blooded murder are likewise upsetting, yet his concern for Charle's well being is still nonetheless poignant. Fine supporting contributions by Charles Aidman as the tough Captain Wallace Pratt, Sydney Pollack as the hard-nosed Sergeant Owen Van Horn, Gavin MacLeod as the disillusioned Private Crotty, and Tom Skerritt as the easygoing Sergeant Stan Showalter. Ted D. McCord's stark and striking cinematography makes artful use of fades and dissolves. Bud Shank's melodic and melancholy score also does the trick. A real sleeper.

George&Deolene Catsicadellis At the outset the film appears to be about the typical effects of war and its effects upon the soldiers and population surrounded by it. A closer look though reveals the questioning of the purpose of the Korean War. Besides the negative psychological effects upon the soldiers; they constantly seem to ask themselves, through the eyes of Robert Redford, what the purpose behind the killing is. We are constantly reminded that this was a war fought by the politicians and bankers to the detriment of the soldiers and the Korean people who suffered. This is ironically depicted when we see a group of soldiers being driven to the front while one of them is looking at the price of Wall Street stock prices. Redford in this, one of his early film debuts, dramatically questions the senseless violence. This is emphasised at the end of the film by the senseless killing of a fellow American soldier who looses control over his ability to distinguish between killing as a soldier and for no reason at all.

fatherjamesusmc Other comments made here about the film are accurate enough. A few words about John Saxon's character though......The question was asked how he ever made it through boot camp... being unable to "comprehend authority, let alone obey it..." The answer is that most serial killers do not spring forth fully developed. ...Whatever his background, (almost certainly a loner) he was an easy target for the draft if he had not enlisted. Most discipline problems show up as individual ones, and not with someone in ranks... Not all nut jobs are weeded out in boot camp (I have served in the Marine Corps and elsewhere and have seen such... though certainly not on his scale) He probably completed his training with all of the inspiration of a man on an escalator......Whatever his demons... they could suddenly spring out on his first solo patrols... like an airbag in an accident, and just as impossible to put back... ...He was permitted to set up not only his own rules, but his own world... The military establishment existed in his mind only to support that world... His sole loyalty to command was to the company commander who both supported him and gave him fatherly approval... ...He chose not to take R&R. His company commander could not afford to be without his services... and if not fearing mayhem during such a leave, at a minimum feared that his most valuable man would get into enough trouble to vanish into the military justice system... ...Historian T.R. Fehrenbach in his work THIS KIND OF WAR: Korea-A study in unpreparedness, tells the story of "Gypsy" Martin... While not a serial killer, he submerged his whole identity into the war... headscarf and all. Martin was different from most soldiers... utterly useless for anything but combat. He had the good fortune to be killed in action before the fighting ended... F.J.

movingpicturegal Dark, atmospheric, stylish film telling the story of combat as seen through the eyes of a newcomer, baby-faced Robert Redford, at a wartime trench camp in Korea, 1953. The story basically follows this man's experiences dealing with the others in their little platoon barracks - particularly a very odd man (played by John Saxon) who first appears on screen in a most memorable style - his mud-covered face suddenly appearing in close-up, completely filling the screen. This man likes to go out alone at night with his face darkened, on his own private "war hunt" as he knifes to death Koreans hiding in trench holes. This man's sidekick at camp is a young, orphaned Korean boy who seems to worship the older man. At one point, we watch Redford's character as he faces great fear during his first experience in combat; he also desires to help the young boy and faces many confrontations with the "war hunter"/mud man.This is a very unusual film - powerful, gripping and interesting, the story moved along via voice-over narration by Redford as his character relates his experiences. The film features excellent, thoughtful camera-work including many facial close-ups, and many dark, night-time scenes that gives a haunting feeling to the action. The background music reminded me in style of that often heard during "Twilight Zone" or even "Star Trek" episodes - a sort of 60s sci-fi feeling to it, in a way. The film opens and closes with a nicely done, sentimental chorus of Korean children. An excellent film all around.