"See that cockroach? Tomorrow morning, we'll be dead and it'll be alive."

Rating: 8/10 (12 May 2007)

Stanley Kubrick's 'Paths of Glory' is the ultimate anti-war film. Rather than simply showing us the horrors of warfare and declaring that 'war is hell,' this films genuinely fills us with unbridled hate and anger, revealing the sheer folly and uselessness of combat. There are heroes in war, of course  namely Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas) and his brave fighting soldiers  but certainly not the generals, who sit back in their comfortable armchairs and send thousands of their men to certain death without a trace of guilt or remorse.
In the treacherous front-line trenches of World War One, a regiment of soldiers is ordered on a suicidal mission to seize the German-occupied "Anthill." French General Mireau (George Macready) is at first hesitant about the attack, citing the unacceptably high fatality rate and his duty to his loyal soldiers, but he is very quickly swayed in his convictions when his superior, General George Broulard, (Adolphe Menjou), hints at the possibility of a promotion. And so, led by a doubtful but loyal Colonel Dax (Douglas), the soldiers  in perhaps the most realistic war combat scene this side of 'Saving Private Ryan'  proceed with the attack, suffering immense losses and ultimately being forced to retreat. Furious about the perceived "cowardice" of his troops, an enraged General Mireau orders his artillery to open fire on his own men, but the artillery commander refuses to obey without a confirmation of written orders.
Rather than taking the blame himself for the failed attack, Mireau decides to execute three men to set an example to the soldiers. Corporal Paris (Ralph Meeker) is chosen for execution because his commanding officer has a personal vendetta against him; Private Arnaud (Joe Turkel), one of the most courageous soldiers in his regiment, was chosen randomly; Private Ferol (Timothy Carey) was chosen because he was something of a social outcast. Colonel Lax passionately defends the actions of his men during the court-martial, but, despite the utterly ridiculous cases made against them, all three men are inevitably found guilty of "cowardice in the face of the enemy" and sentenced to death by firing squad.
Later, in one of the most suspenseful sequences ever committed to film, accompanied by the slow steady beat of an army drum, the three condemned men are lead to their place of execution, tied to posts and shot down by the weapons of their own army. Any other film from this era would have baulked at the final moment, offering its prisoners a last-minute reprieve, and the swift persecution of every general in charge of the original attack. Kubrick reportedly toyed with this option at one point, but it is to his credit that he stood firm on his daring and controversial ending. Indeed, French authorities considered the film such an offence to their army's honour that it was banned until 1975.