Hard hitting realism

Rating: 10/10 (26 December 1998)

Stanley Kubrick's film certainly portrays the dangers of marshal law with great clarity. This film is testament all just soldiers and a grim reminder of the upheaval of war.
I must disagree that this is an anti-war film but more an insight into justice. Kirk Douglas is the french (but strangely all american) hero who has proved himself not only on the battlefield but the court floor also, he is also a man who empathsises with his men, and so we see a patriot who understands the reasons for war, but a man who also understands the need for true justice.
Although the finale is a complete shock to anyone expecting sentimentality from Kubrick, we see how various forms of justice have been dispensed, even the cowardly leitenant, a man who should be on trial, and both of the hateful generals are made to see the full consequences of their actions.