Anthony Mann – Platoon of the Korean War The only advantage of this picture is its timeliness. In the wake of anti-war sentiments of the Korean War, Anthony Mann directed a minimalist battle drama about a small military unit lost somewhere in Korea. The devastation and humiliation, the meaninglessness of being in someone else’s war, and the complete moral disorientation are all these reflective men show us. Fortunately, the main roles are simply titans of recognized masculinity - Aldo Rain and Robert Ryan. The harder it is to accept repeated tantrums from Ryan, the harder it is to accept the humble look of a courageous Aldo. Now, after Platoon and All Metal Shell, this film looks like an ordinary movie play.
This is probably the best estimate. This is just “a mediocre film play”, without any frills, with a lot of theatrical replays, pathos and completely unnatural, artificial explosions and shootouts. Two years later, a more interesting in all respects film with Gregory Peck “The Height of Pork Chop Hill” will be released, and Anthony Mann’s picture will be forgotten. To each his own. In the end, the picture can be interpreted as an excessively boring interpretation of Remarque’s classic work “On the Western Front Without Change”. Only here, in the conditional source, every word in granite. Remember: What do we do with the goals that we are offered? It was only my memories and my vacation days that convinced me that the dual, artificial, invented order called “society” could not calm us down and give us nothing. We will remain isolated and grow, we will try; some will be quiet and some will not want to give up their weapons. For me, that's what Aldo Ray said in front of the camera, and that would be enough for a masterpiece. The depth was not enough.
3 out of 10
