Movie Review: Attack (1956)
Synopsis: A United States Army infantry company is based in a Belgian town near the front lines during World War II. Morale is low because of the incompetent leadership of their commander, Capt. Erskine Cooney. Executive Officer Lt. Harold Woodruff believes the men are longer fit for combat as a result but has been assured the company's fighting days are over. Woodruff's worst fears are realized when the company is ordered to stop a German advance and instead of sending the entire company, Cooney chooses to send just one platoon under the command of Lt. Joe Costa and abandon them when they get pinned down.
Who's in it? The movie stars Jack Palance, Eddie Albert, Lee Marvin, Buddy Ebsen and William Smithers.
Review: I started out watching another war movie this morning but lost interest after only a few minutes and decided to instead call an audible and finally watch Attack, which has been in my library for a couple weeks. I picked out this movie mostly because I recognized quite a few of the actors. I would pick out the film again because it was an entertaining movie.
My first introduction to Eddie Albert was through the comedy series Green Acres, and because of that, I find myself somewhat surprised at how much I like it when he plays the bad guy in movies. His cowardly and inept Capt. Cooney isn't quite as villainous as Warden Hazen in The Longest Yard but is a big part of why this movie is so entertaining. Not only do his men need to face and stop a German tank unit, they also can't trust him to make the right decision or not betray them.
This, in turn, made Capt. Cooney's fate unpredictable. As morale dropped and distrust grew, it was unclear if he'd survive until the end and, if not, who would be the one to pull the trigger. I didn't even rule out his commanding officer (Marvin) since Cooney's cowardice was making him look bad as well.
The battle scenes in this movie were also exciting to watch. This is especially true of the suicide mission Lt. Costa (Palance) and his men were sent on. The majority of that mission was shown from the platoon's point of view, adding a bit of suspense because it was unclear where the enemy was and if/when they planned on overrunning the few survivors. It was an impossible situation that once again left me wondering if there would be any survivors or if Costa would live long enough to carry out his threat against Cooney.
The end of the movie was a bit drawn out for my tastes, with too much focus on morality and honor when it could have just ended a few minutes earlier and been just as good. However, since I'm normally the guy who criticizes films for ending with a bunch of dead bodies and no aftermath, I'm willing to give it a pass. At minimum, it was a good discussion of the things the stress of war will make a person do.
Final Opinion: This is a solid war movie with a talented cast and just the right amount of action and suspense. I'm glad I chose it.
My Grade: A
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Here are some reviews of other war movies:
Movie Review: The Dirty Dozen (1967)
Movie Review: Tank Commandos (1959)
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