Been watching a lot of the tv show MASH recently, and it made me curious to see if there were other depictions of the Korean War out there. This was one of the more high profile ones, and it looked good (and a lot more serious than the comedy-drama mix of MASH).
And... it was pretty good! There are limitations when it comes to the budget. Sometimes you don't notice, but when they go from an outdoors location to a soundstage depicting the outdoors and back to a real outdoor location, it's very noticeable.
Also, it drags a little in the middle. It's character focused stuff that sort of works, but sort of gets a little dull in parts.
Most commendable is the fact that it had a very diverse cast when it came to race, for its time, which provides a broader perspective on the conflict and how it impacts different people. Also examined PTSD of WW2 soldiers, as some characters in here fought in both wars, and that's not something you got out of many war films of this age.
Also: deserves points for criticising the Korean War through showing it to be brutal and miserable and confusing (as hellish as it could be depicted by 50s standards) while the war was still going!
The very last shot leaves quite an impact, too.
And... it was pretty good! There are limitations when it comes to the budget. Sometimes you don't notice, but when they go from an outdoors location to a soundstage depicting the outdoors and back to a real outdoor location, it's very noticeable.
Also, it drags a little in the middle. It's character focused stuff that sort of works, but sort of gets a little dull in parts.
Most commendable is the fact that it had a very diverse cast when it came to race, for its time, which provides a broader perspective on the conflict and how it impacts different people. Also examined PTSD of WW2 soldiers, as some characters in here fought in both wars, and that's not something you got out of many war films of this age.
Also: deserves points for criticising the Korean War through showing it to be brutal and miserable and confusing (as hellish as it could be depicted by 50s standards) while the war was still going!
The very last shot leaves quite an impact, too.