Robert J. Maxwell Korea, 1950. Robert Ryan is a lieutenant in command of what's left of his platoon, a dozen or so men. They are alone, surrounded, and unable to communicate with their division, so they face a dreary trudge of many miles in the most promising direction. They're shortly joined by a jeep carrying a stunned and insensible major (Keith) and his gruff, hostile sergeant (Ray). Ray is built like a Panzer and his neck is a very short telephone pole. His head is so large that his helmet doesn't sit on it, it encases his skull like a watch cap. All the men are scared, weary, or sick, except Ray. He exercises his combat skills until Ryan finally accepts him and his catatonic major into the group -- not that Ray gives a damn one way or the other.The enemy are treacherous and, worse, they're real SNEAKY. They camouflage themselves with bushes and branches. "They move like cats!", exclaims one sergeant (Persoff).The movie isn't too inventive or realistic, on the whole. James Edwards, while bringing up the rear, learns that you should never sit down, decorate your helmet with flowers, and take off your shoes while you're alone. Every soldier in a war movie knows that you can't relax, even for a moment, when the enemy are around. (They should never climb a tree either.) We've seen it before. There's little in the way of believability either. When Ray and his major first arrive, Ray has his Thompson sub-machine gun pointed at Ryan's chest as he disobeys one order after another. When Ryan finally relieves him of the gun, Ray pulls a knife and prepares to attack the officer. Yet a few minutes later, Ryan returns the gun to Ray. Would you do that? The story, for all it danger and suspense, doesn't seem to have been well thought out. The platoon drags itself along from one dangerous incident to another with little clear direction of what their goal is. Bayonets are always fixed. They must survive an ambush and snipers, run through an artillery barrage, step gingerly through a mine field, take a hill occupied by the enemy. Bonds are formed but remain unexplained. Why did James Edwards insist on taking care of the frightened Vic Morrow? Nobody else cares. And what is the nature of Aldo Ray's utter devotion to "my colonel"? Why would two frightened soldiers manning a light machine gun, shout, "Let's get outta here!", and then run up the hill toward the enemy, firing their rifles? I may be too hard on the film. It doesn't insult the audience. I don't mean to suggest that it's putrid, just routine. I'm sure the production was hampered by a low budget. The dusty hills and gum trees are in Los Angeles, not Korea. We never see more than a handful of men. At the end, when the cavalry comes too late, the single man on guard comes tumbling down the slope to announce their arrival -- but we don't see them. No acting is called for but the men we observe do professional jobs.Good for a watch, but probably not a second.

Jeff (actionrating.com) See it – There haven't been many movies made about the Korean War. While "Pork Chop Hill" is an easy choice for number one, this Anthony Mann-directed psychological war movie may be number two. Starring Robert Ryan, the story focuses on a group of GI's transporting ammunition who get cut off from the rest of their regiment when their vehicle breaks down. As they make their way on foot to deliver the ammunition to the rally point, they encounter snipers, mines, and all the usual hardships of the footsoldier. Eventually they meet up with a hardened veteran whose experience may be just what they need to make it back alive and accomplish their mission. When a well-defended enemy hill is the only thing standing in their way, the men decide that despite being outnumbered, they have plenty of ammo to attempt an assault.

benbaum-280-362993 A small group of survivors works through enemy territory to reach their HQ, along the way they meet a Sargent, a catatonic Colonel and their Jeep, who reluctantly join the fight. The 3 display heroics and are interesting characters who leave much for the viewer to consider long after the film. I found the lack of extras and huge enemy forces welcoming as it aided the sense of isolation and vulnerability the men feel. Also the metaphysical connection between the Jeep and the Colonal is a creative device. Not a great over all flick and it lacks some historical depth but it does have its powerful moments and does succeed at being what it is, a simple war story, not glamorous no glitzy.

chuck-reilly Anthony Mann's low budget "Men in War" (1957) is notable for his not receiving any help from the Pentagon during filming. Seems the top brass at the Pentagon didn't approve of the script and its depiction of US soldiers without the slightest bit of discipline. Instead, Director Manns simply concentrated on the scenery and tightened the characterizations of his story. There's not much in the way of pyrotechnics or explosions in this film, but it's still worth a viewing mainly because of the performances of Robert Ryan and Aldo Ray. The plot centers on an infantry patrol that's cut off from their main element and deep inside enemy territory during the Korean War (circa 1950). Ryan is the only officer left and his platoon consists of battle-weary troopers Vic Morrow, Nehemiah Persoff, and L.Q. Jones. Nearly out on their feet from exhaustion, Ryan and his men encounter a speedy jeep with an out-of-control sergeant (Ray) and a near-comatose colonel (Robert Keith looking like a zombie). Ray's only concern is to get "his" colonel back to the rear but Ryan reluctantly recruits him (and the jeep) into the fight despite Ray's lousy attitude and erratic behavior. Ray turns out to be a cracker-jack soldier and spectacularly good with his automatic rifle, killing snipers and potential POWs with reckless abandon. He and Ryan have a parting-of-the-ways after Ray's continued insubordination, but their separation is brief. Meanwhile the North Koreans begin picking off Ryan's men one-by-one and soon there's only a skeleton force available to attempt a final albeit needless assault. Why Ryan allows his dwindling number of soldiers to try this suicide mission belies any tactical reasoning, but it does bring the film to a shattering conclusion. The comatose colonel miraculously wakes up in time to grab a rifle and join in the festivities. His bold actions shame old Aldo into rejoining the fight. When the dust clears only three men are left standing. Reinforcements arrive (late as usual) as the men contemplate their survival and the deaths of their comrades-in-arms.With his limited budget, director Anthony Mann does his best with the resources available. Having a heavyweight cast like Robert Ryan, Aldo Ray, Nehemiah Persoff etc. certainly helps his cause. Mann would later receive almost unlimited funds for epics such as "El Cid" and "The Fall of the Roman Empire." "Men in War" is not on the level of those films but it's a well-done movie with its own timely message of the futility and ravages of war.