Masterful achievement in all departments.

Rating: Null/10 (7 August 2008)

A passion project of Douglas's, in which he was willing to knowingly make a film less box-office friendly in order to preserve its theme and integrity, this examination of power and the abuse of it is a stellar piece of film-making. He plays a colonel in the French army during WWI, situated in a standoff along trenches against German-held territory. When general Macready realizes he can receive a promotion by turning the tide of the standoff and taking a locale known as The Ant Hill, he sends Douglas and his men into almost certain death in order to make it happen. However, the military effort is an abysmal failure and, in order to make an example of them, he has three men selected to stand trial for cowardice. What follows is a kangaroo court martial in which the prior deeds of the men are ignored and the situation is twisted in order to ensure that the trio will be found guilty. Douglas struggles against the odds to find a way to save them, even daring to tangle with smooth, but dangerous, general Menjou. Douglas turns in one of his all-time greatest performances, only getting close to the edge of over-acting one time as he confronts Menjou. He's charismatic, idealistic, realistic and compassionate, among other traits. Macready enjoys possibly his finest hour as well as the hardened, heartless, driven instigator of the entire mess. Menjou is perfectly slimy; all smiles even as he's turning the screws on people. The three targeted men give uniquely compelling performances. Meeker, often an underrated actor, wrestles with the thoughts of never seeing his wife and child again. Turkel reacts violently to the situation, ending up severely injured. Carey, always a fascinating presence, starts to crack up emotionally, becoming almost surreally affected. Other key cast members include Morris as a lieutenant who actually is cowardly (and alcoholic) and yet isn't made to suffer for it (this weak, wormy character was portrayed by a man, Morris, who was in real life an actual war hero!), Anderson, as a smugly sycophantic prosecutor and Meyer as the pragmatic, resident chaplain. If there is one teensy "flaw," it is that these men rarely, if ever, seem French, many of them retaining noticeable New York accents, but it's carping to even mention that in the face of such exemplary cinema. The movie, filmed in stark black and white, has the distinction of being simultaneous ugly and beautiful. One admires the stunning camera-work, even in the muddy, deadly battleground and can awe at the startlingly beautiful makeshift courtroom as injustice reigns over the proceedings. It's a sort of visual uneasiness that permeates the bulk of the film and only adds to how special it is. Despite the feeling of dread that lingers in many frames, there is also a tiny bit of ironic dark humor that seeps in from time to time. In short, director Kubrick has excelled here at manipulating the audience in every way from visually to audibly to emotionally. At a crisp 87 minutes, it never overstays its welcome. If only modern filmmakers could recognize that bigger and longer doesn't always equal better. The callous power plays depicted here could apply to virtually any place, not necessarily the French Army. Boardrooms, playgrounds, fraternities, Elk clubs It's the examination of the personalities and machinations that is key here rather than the setting. It's a must-see film that packs a wallop and which has not been given its full due even now.