Attack

Why this is not universally considered one of the masterpieces of all time is beyond.

The ensemble in this dialogue-driven war drama is nicely cast, and the script is pretty great as well.

Viewed April 20, 2020.

It's a real hallmark of Aldrich's tough, cynical and macho style. Palance and Marvin are really good. Albert is amazing. The really solid supporting cast includes Buddy Ebsen, Robert Strauss, Richard Jaeckel, Peter van Eyck and even Strother Martin in a tiny role. The film was denied assistance from the US military (not a surprise), so it struggles a bit to be completely convincing (some German tanks are laughably small) but the human drama makes up for these shortcomings.

I read somebody describe Aldrich as the A-list Samuel Fuller and indeed both in the way it treats its subject matter and the directing, the cult edgy feel in its framing and compositions of shots, it felt that way to me. I do not get a the kudos Palance is getting, I found him to be overacting, especially near the end.

This film is more about people and less about the action that drives the plot.

A really solid war film, with the requisite number of action scenes but at its core a story about personalities clashing in the heat of battle. It's pretty talkie movie, which makes it more to my taste than most war movies, but it's not lacking in tension. Palance is great and really makes you sympathize with his positions and the ending is something that lingers the way good endings should.

Sigourney Weaver should have taken control of this battalion.

Excellent, disturbing war film. Palance and Marvin are both wonderful in this.