Cowardice and creepy careerism are at the heart of this disturbing war film featuring outstanding performances from Jack Palance and Eddie Albert as officers at odds at the tail end of the war in Europe, 1944. One a respected leader, the other a coward with connections.
Week end wonder Captain Cooney (Albert), reluctant to engage the enemy is wasting platoon lives. Rather than be court-martialed or sent to the rear, his connections to Colonel Bartlett (Lee Marvin) prevent it. Captain Costa (Palance) appalled at the carnage Cooney is creating resorts to threatening him if he does not back them up on the next mission to secure a town.
Palance is powerfully intimidating throughout, his frustration level with Cooney at fever pitch. Albert is text book craven coward with daddy issues, his condescending smugness, attempting to disguise his terror, making him an even more infuriating individual. Probably Albert's finest dramatic performance to go along with the irony that Eddie was a bona fide war hero. Marvin as the cynical commanding officer is slightly over the top while the rest of the dogfaces convincingly battle weary.
Aldrich and his cinematographer Joe Biroc capture the depressing futility of battlefield charges as well as create maximum tension among the men in tightly framed claustrophobic interiors. Aldrich for his part does not sugar coat, glorify in any way or go Hollywood ending. A depressing but impressive work.
