Review of Men in War (1957) by Tomas T — 06 Jan 2013

More known for his Westerns, director Anthony Mann proves that his distinctive directing is well suited to depict more modern conflict with utmost reality.

As probably most already knew, real war is completely the opposite of what Hollywood's block busters make it out to be. In reality, large portion of War is battling against boredom and inconveniences due to lack of everyday commodities and only tiny fraction of time is spent in adrenaline pumping combat. In this sense Anthony Mann's realistic directing style pays homage to largely forgotten Korean conflict as it depicts war in most realistic way I have seen so far. This can be considered a good and bad thing as realistic approach to war does not in this instance transform into a thrilling movie experience.

Men in War tells a straightforward story of Lt. Benson and the desperate situation his encircled platoon faces in Korean battle field. Exhausted and encircled, Benson and his platoon need to break through strong enemy defenses and capture a hill in order to reach friendly lines.

The story is simple and Robert Ryan as the lead actor fills the boots of lieutenant Benson well. Anthony Mann's great directing brings a sense of realism and intensity to each scene and makes it easy for viewer to immerse themselves in Korean conflict. These factors make Men in War technically a great and realistic war film, but with action scenes - as in reality - far and few between, there is no escaping the fact that Men in War is a somewhat tedious film. Now I can appreciate the realism and stunning shots Mann produced with the film, they are really fantastic, but cannot overlook the fact that the film failed to keep me interested in it due to slow pace and lack of action.