Along with King & Country, the best anti-war movie ever made

Rating: 9/10 (9 December 2005)

Kirk Douglas is far and away the best actor never to win an Academy Award for Best Actor. Consider his work in this film, Lust For Life and The List of Adrian Messenger as 3 great examples. And, there were other performances nearly as great, as his work in Detective Story.
The straitjacketed thinking and actions of the military mind(and the gov't) was never shown better than in Paths of Glory except perhaps for All Quiet On The Western Front. There is no question that this thinking is why we go to war instead of using all other alternatives to the very last degree in order to avoid it. Also, if the old men who declare wars and send young men into battle to die also had to fight those wars on the front lines, there wouldn't be another war, ever.
In POG, the hideous part where the sick and dying soldier was shown being executed instead of being allowed to die a soon-forthcoming natural death was the best example of the cast-in-concrete military mind I have ever seen. And, so true, as I was in the Army and saw things such as this firsthand.
If you like this film, also see The Young Lions for a similar message and a great Marlon Brando performance.