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Jack Palance, Lee Marvin, Eddie Albert

During the closing days of WWII, a National Guard Infantry Company is assigned the task of setting up artillery observation posts in a strategic area. Lieutenant Costa knows that Cooney is in command ...( read more  read more... )only because of 'connections' he had made state-side. Costa has serious doubts concerning Cooneys' ability to lead the group. When Cooney sends Costa and his men out, and refuses to re-enforce them, Costa swears revenge.

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69% liked it

1,085 ratings

Unrated, 107 min.

Directed by: Robert Aldrich

Release Date: October 17, 1956

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DVD Release Date: May 20, 2003

Stats: 38 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (38)

  • flixsterman
    May 12, 2009
    flixsterman
    Jack Palance tries to lead an infantry company in the waning days of WWII. He battles tough German resistance and an enormously incompetent commanding officer (Eddie Albert).

    A classic anti-war film of the 1950's that's weakened a bit by a couple of one dimensional characters. ...( read more) Albert's extreme cowardice is countered by Palance's uber-heroics. Their conflict is so all-consuming it makes the German army seem minor and incidental.
  • garyX
    February 24, 2007
    garyX
    Grizzled combat veteran Jack Palance locks horns with cowardly commanding officer Eddie Albert in this gritty and uncompromising WWII story
  • Budgeburgess
    April 14, 2009
    Budgeburgess
    A World War 2 tale, set in or around the Battle of the Bulge. An American colonel with political ambitions (Lee Marvin) pushes forward one of his companies, assuring the company commander (Eddie Albert) that the village he has to take is unlikely to present any dangers. Inevitabl...( read more)y, the first platoon in there (led by Jack Palance) will find itself in a murderous trap. Arnold lacks the courage to do the job, but he comes from a good family with powerful political connections. Marvin needs this support if he is to succeed in politics after the war: he knows the war is won, he's already focusing on his own future ... and he's prepared to ignore the obvious cowardice and incompetence of Arnold.

    Robert Aldrich offers a striking study in courage and cowardice, ambition and duty, leadership and indecision. Originally a stage play, the structure of the production does suffer in places from this. However, instead of the guns-blazing, flashy special effects of recent war movies, 'Attack' often feels claustrophobic, with men pinned into small rooms and glum cellars. While it sometimes feels a bit 'staged', at others, the sense of confined space means you can almost smell the sweat. There are echoes of Tennessee Williams here.

    Shot in black and white, the film has a distinct noir quality. Indeed, one of its most attractive features is the photography, the use of light and dark to emphasise the loneliness and the isolation of the soldiers. Palance has a rugged face at the best of times, but his cragginess is emphasised by the noir lighting ... and by a little cameo scene where he strips to the waist to work bellows for a blacksmith. This is Hollywood realism, juxtaposing the muscular, masculine Palance against the podgy, effete, political Arnold.

    The acting can become almost melodramatic at times - Arnold, in particular, is in danger of becoming a caricature. In the end, it's a method acting tour-de-force as Arnold comes unpicked at the seams.

    A serious subject, sentimental in places, but the photography and direction often gives it an almost documentary feels ... and don't ever doubt that soldiers do get sentimental from time to time. For all its breathlessness and raw emotion, for all the bulging muscles and taut jaws, this is not a very physical - or physically energetic - movie. The tension is in the dialogue and the interaction between characters. This can be a bit dated in places, a bit stereotypical, but there is a quality in the writing and in the drama which is sadly missing in many better known war movies.

    What is the moral of the 'play'? Courage? Retribution? Justice? I tend to feel it's actually dishonesty, corruption, perversion. Truth is the first casualty of war. 'Attack' confirms that warfare is ultimately about lies - convincing yourself that the enemy are sufficiently different from you to be worthy of hate, convincing yourself that you're not scared, convincing yourself that the war has a meaning and a purpose, convincing yourself that it will lead to a better future.

    A film which aspiring screenwriters should study and deconstruct. 'Attack' has genuine qualities in both its drama, its acting, its direction, and its cinematography. It is a film which will engage.
  • YuriGagarin
    July 15, 2007
    YuriGagarin
    A rare treat - a study of cowardice in war with no redeeming features. What do you do when your leader is more likely to get you killed than the enemy?!
  • dorisgc
    March 27, 2007
    dorisgc
    good war movie....2 great actors
  • darkdial
    March 26, 2007
    darkdial
    Robert Aldrich right after Kiss Me Deadly. Maybe my favorite war movie. Palance.
  • phadraig
    March 15, 2007
    phadraig
    palance is suberb...

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