Attack (1956) User Reviews

Stunning warfare film filled with intense drama , spectacular battles and violent confrontation

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 11 April 2013]

Above average war film with Jack Palance's snarling ferocity as a revengeful officer along with Eddie Albert as a coward captain ,both of whom give excellent performances along with the remaining cast . 1944 , Belgium , Battle of Bugle , during the closing days of WWII, a National Guard Infantry Company is assigned the task of setting up artillery observation posts in a strategic area . Lieutenant Costa (splendid Jack Palance as platoon leader) knows that Cooney (Eddie Albert ,in real life he served in WW II, was a war hero, in one engagement having braved heavy enemy fire to rescue 70 wounded Marines) is in command only because of his friendship to a colonel (Lee Marvin) and other connections he had made with High-command . As captain Cooney is ordered to move one of his platoons into a forward position . They , then are slowly surrounded by a Nazi army . As Costa has serious doubts concerning Cooneys' ability to lead the group . Lt. Costa calls headquarters for reinforcements but Cooney won't commit his reserves even as the platoon is decimated , then Costa swears vendetta .

This is a bitter war drama that packs thrills , chills , intense battle of wits among two officials and many other things . This has an anti-war argument , though not the usual 'war is hell,' but the terribly corrupting influence that war can have on the most normal, average human beings , and the terrible things it makes them capable of that they wouldn't be capable of otherwise . Interesting picture with excellent screenplay by James Poe based on a play titled "Fragile Fox" by Norman Brooks , dealing with an expert portrayal of men in war under pressure . It is a war movie as frankly good that when it was shown as the Venice Festival a U.S. ambassador walked in protest for its un-Americanism and anti-patriotism , in fact , US Department of Defense and the US Army refused to assist with the production of this movie based on its film script . After reading the script, the military flatly refused to allow any co-operation with the production , that meant no tanks, no uniforms, no troops ; they didn't even allow director to view any Signal Corps footage . However Aldrich managed to rent two tanks ; by careful staging and ingenuity, he was able to convey the impression that many more were being used . Very good acting from Jack Palance who dominates the picture with a tremendously acting , though sometimes overacting , and Eddie Albert as cowardly captain Cooney who refuses to re-enforce him . Two of the lead cast in this Robert Aldrich war film of the Second World War, Richard Jaeckel and Lee Marvin, would go onto appear in the same director's later hugely successful World War II war movie, ¨Dirty Dozen¨ . Actors Jack Palance and Lee Marvin were veterans of World War II as were Peter van Eyck and Eddie Albert . Feature film movie debut for actor William Smithers portraying Lieutenant Harold 'Harry' Woodruff , Smithers prior to this role had only worked in television. Spectacular combats and fights , battle sequences were filmed on the back-lot of two studios: The RKO-Pathé Studios back-lot and the Universal Studios back-lot. Appropriate and evocative musical score by Frank De Vol , Aldrich's usual . Adequate and atmospheric cinematography in black and white by Joseph Biroc .

Well made on the RKO lot in only 35 days for a minimal budget of $750,000 . The motion picture was stunningly realized by Robert Aldrich who gave a tense and brilliant direction . Aldrich began writing and directing for TV series in the early 1950s, and directed his first feature in 1953 (Big Leaguer ,1953). Soon thereafter he established his own production company and produced most of his own films , collaborating in the writing of many of them . Directed a considerable plethora of genres but almost all of his films contained a subversive undertone . He was an expert on warlike genre (Dirty Dozen , The Angry Hills , Ten seconds to hell) and Western (The Frisko kid , Ulzana's raid, Apache , Veracruz , The last sunset) . Rating : Above average , it's a must see and a standout in its genre .

A violent exposé of a lack of courage and perversion

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 8/10 · 25 January 2009]

'Attack' was a violent exposé of a lack of courage and perversion among American officers fighting the Germans in Belgium; a completely anti-romantic expression of disgust with war, and, more specially, the war machine, with its breakdown and its own ridiculous brand of bureaucracy…

Jack Palance and Eddie Albert played, at different types of psychic disturbance, two officers who struggle on the battlefield — the one an efficacious, trustworthy, but disillusioned hero-typed, the other a cowardly sadist…

Lee Marvin was the cynical high-ranking officer who treats war as a political farce, mindless of the pain and distress of the ordinary soldiers…

Despite an inevitable over-fondness for the dramatic values of combat and the ferocious of men at arms, this was a convincing, truthful try to demythologize war — which, had it been set up in a lower key with fewer psychiatric reverberations, would have come nearer to being what Aldrich was struggling to achieve, 'a sincere plea for peace'.

I could have been Erskine Cooney

[helpless_dancer · 8/10 · 17 June 2004]

It would seem political correctness prevailed even back during the big bloodletting. The military should screen it's officers very thoroughly before giving them the command over others' lives. Captain Cooney should never have been issued a uniform much less been promoted to such a high field rank. Most of these old 40's and 50's war films leave me colder than a dead kraut but this was way above the fold. Yes, some of the special effects were a bit tame and a couple of the sets looked like what they were, but this was one gritty, ugly tale of the horror and waste of combat. The entire cast was excellent in their portrayal of soldiers in a hopeless situation. Many familiar old faces in this one, most of whom are no longer with us.

A four star war film

[bkoganbing · 10/10 · 28 May 2005]

Based on a play Fragile Fox that was on Broadway during the early Fifties, Attack is one of the best war films ever made. No sham heroics here, just men doing a dirty job and caught in an extremely lousy situation due to politics.

Lee Marvin is a politically ambitious colonel who's national guard company has been activated for World War II. He's got to babysit and keep an eye on Eddie Albert who's father is a big shot in the unnamed southern state he comes from. Only Albert is an incompetent and a coward. That's causing problems up and down the ranks.

How it all gets resolved is what you have to see Attack for and Robert Aldrich never directed a better film. There's not a bad performance here, not a minute of film wasted.

The contrasting character is Jack Palance who is the lead character. His courage and concern for the men he leads are set up in a direct counterpoint to Albert. His climactic scene is one of the most harrowing ever put on film.

It is appropriate with news of Eddie Albert leaving us at the grand old age of 99 to pay tribute to what is probably the best performance this multi-talented and under-appreciated performer ever did. His Captain Cooney is one of the most malevolent creatures ever put to celluloid. He's such a bad man, his performance will make your skin crawl, Albert is that good in this role. Both he and Palance should have been up for Oscars in 1956.

William Smithers made a good film debut in Attack. He never reached the heights of stardom, but Star Trek fans will know him for a role in the original series as Captain Merik who oddly enough made the same bad choices in that episode that Captain Cooney does in Attack.

The cast is populated with war film veterans and they all do their usual fine job. There were times that it didn't seem possible you could make a war film without Lee Marvin, Robert Strauss, or Richard Jaeckel. God Bless 'em all.

And Attack is a film not to be missed even if you don't particularly like war films.

Fantastic War Movie - No Holds Barred

[SgtSlaughter · 17 October 2003]

One of Robert Aldrich's classic war movies explores pyschological pressure and just how war effects men mentally. Even the "good guys" have their bad sides, and the bad guys are so screwed up you either sympathize with them or hate them.

During the fall of 1944, Captain Cooney (Eddie Albert) commands a weary infantry company. Lt. Costa (a young Jack Palance) realizes that Cooney is unfit for command when he freezes in combat. Costa and close friend Lt. Woodruff (Bill Smithers) try to inform their superior, Colonel Bartlett (Lee Marvin sporting a southern drawl) of Cooney's incompetence; instead, White wants to stay out of the way and hopes for the best. He owes Cooney a chance to become a hero so he can look good back home. Well, as you might have expected, Cooney again freezes in combat, this time costing the lives of several of Costa's men - and Costa goes looking for vengeance in an awesome climactic sequence.

The supporting cast is dotted with familiar faces, including Robert Strass from STALAG 17 as an oafish, emotional dogface; the late Buddy Ebsen (BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL) as Costa's loyal platoon sergeant; and Richard Jaeckel (who's appeared in at least a dozen war flicks) as another young soldier. Kudos to Bill Smithers, who does a fantastic job in an early role as Costa's rational friend. His final scene will leave you stunned and reeling.

The movie features a number of memorable scenes which combine physical action, superb dialog and emotion perfectly. One scene in which a mortally wounded Jack Palance prays that God will let him live long enough to kill Cooney is gut-wrenching. Interestingly, both Cooney and Costa have lost their grip on sanity. It's clear from the beginning that Cooney is a whackjob, and Costa is perfectly sane. But he becomes madly (no pun intended) obsessed with killing Cooney, that he forgets everything else - including his own men which is fighting to save. Instead of focusing on thousands of troops and big explosions, Aldrich delivers enough punch in his small-scale story to knock you down. Interiors and exteriors are beautifully shot, confining the action within small spaces to deliver maximum intensity and efficiency.

ATTACK! is an honest film - yes, this type of thing did happen; read or see BAND OF BROTHERS (particularly episode #7) to witness a brutally accurate account of flawed leadership resulting in disaster. I give an 11/10.

One of the two or 3 best war movies ever made.

[inframan · 10/10 · 16 June 2004]

This gripping film has the benefits of an outstanding cast: Palance was peerless here, combining a sense of command with a deep sense of compassion & especially what it takes to get the job done under fire. Palance could do it because he had been there (& seriously wounded) in WW2. Lee Marvin was a combat marine who got shot in that war, too. These guys had real frames of reference to deal from. All the supporting cast stands out as well, Buddy Ebsen as the savvy platoon sergeant, William Smithers as the by the book lieutenant, Robert Straus & Richard Jaeckel as the grunts they played so well in these films. AND THEN there's Eddie Albert playing the cowardly Captain whose father is a high-level political wheeler-dealer. Some of his swaggering & smirking & foolhardy statements, even the features & facial expressions, seem oddly, weirdly timely, though this film is just short of 50 years old. I won't name names for fear of being drawn into a political campaign year vortex, but this movie sure is worth watching against today's operations in Iraq _ & Washington. I wonder what kinds of movies will be coming out in 1- - 20 years about the Iraq wars.

One more word. It could not have happened without Robert Aldrich at the helm. A real masterpiece!

A war film that buzzes and crackles with power

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 30 January 2017]

ATTACK! is a decent WW2 film made in a decade inundated with similar-looking pictures. It was an early feature in the career of director Robert Aldrich, who lends the film a touch of class missing in some of the cheaper genre efforts. The one thing that makes this film really stand out, though, is the effort to characterise the main players, rather than simply emphasising the action.

This is just as much a psychological thriller as it is a war film. For a lot of the running time, the characters are holed up in single locations and fighting each other rather than the enemy. The battle of wills between hero Jack Palance and coward Eddie Albert is quite electrifying, building to some truly nail-biting scenes at the climax that buzz and crackle with power. You don't often get to experience that in war films.

Palance is the real stand-out in this movie, finally getting the chance to play the hero after years of imposing henchman-type roles. He conveys his character's anguish very well and the bit where he tackles a couple of German tanks is incredible. Albert is well cast as his foe, and the likes of Lee Marvin, Robert Strauss, and Peter Van Eyck supply good supporting turns. ATTACK! is a film I'm surprised people don't know better because it's very impressive.

The Performances

[mcrocker-2 · 9/10 · 4 June 2005]

The plot and summary have already been discussed here. I would like to add my spin on the actors. Jack Palance always seems so suited for sinister type roles, but here he gets a chance to play a character you can sympathize with, even though there is a still a dark edge to his character. He is very good in this film, and (here is my spoiler), no one in the history of film making has ever played a corpse better than Palance, in this film.

Eddie Albert is so effective as the cowardly weasel, Capt. Cooney, that it took years for me to enjoy any other roles that he had later on. He made that much of an impression. It took a couple of years of "Green Acres", to wipe the association of Albert's Capt. Cooney from my mind, whenever viewing him.

Lee Marvin, delivers just what you would expect from his role. Nasty fellow, that Colonel. Totally self-serving.

The rest of the squad form up a great little ensemble. I don't think that people realize just how talented Buddy Ebsen really was. While everyone else gives an edgy performance here, he balances the whole thing with a subtle, low keyed approach. Robert Strauss (probably best known as Animal in "Stalag 17") has little room to yuk it up in this film, although he does have a couple of "zingers". He is still one of those people that any time you see them, you can't help but smile. And what can I say about Richard Jaeckel? Was there A WWII film made from the mid 40s through the 60s, that Jaeckel WAS NOT in? A fixture in the genre. I wonder what the play, that this film is based upon, was like.

Pretty good anti-war movie with a few flaws

[McQualude · 6/10 · 10 February 2008]

Interesting twist of a war drama about a National Guard infantry company stuck with an incompetent, politically appointed, company commander, Captain Cooney, played by Eddie Albert. Cooney's father is a big whig back home and the battalion commander, Lt. Col. Bartlett, played by a very young looking Lee Marvin has big political ambitions for after the war so he puts Eddie Albert in command of Fox Company as a favor to the 'Old Man'. Captain Cooney is a coward and at the beginning of the movie leaves one of his squads hanging out to dry and they are quickly killed. When Lt. Costa (Jack Palance) is ordered to take a farmhouse at the edge of an enemy infested town, he warns Cooney what will happen if the company doesn't show up as promised. Cooney's behavior eventually puts the whole battalion at risk and pushes each man nearly to his breaking point.

The performances are brilliant all around with Albert and Palance turning in arguably the best performances of their careers. Lee Marvin essentially does Lee Marvin and if you've seen a few of his movies you know what to expect. Attack is 107 minutes but felt more like two hours. The pacing is spotty and another round of editing, cutting six or seven minutes, would vastly improve the film. I'm not sure but there were a few spots in the beginning where it seemed they mixed up the ranks and had a lieutenant in charge of the squad that was killed. Lieutenants command platoons in an infantry company, sergeants command squads.

Tough, hard-hitting WWII battle film

[bjzajac · 10/10 · 3 March 2001]

This is one of the toughest and most realistic films about WWII combat in Europe made in the 1950s. The bayonet sharpness of this movie stems from that many of the actors in the film are or were themselves WWII veterans. Lee Marvin was a US Marine on Saipan and was wounded in combat, and Eddie Albert was in the Navy and was at the unimaginably bloody battle of Tarawa (Betio). These men knew what war was about and what it cost to wage it. See this film. You will witness a classic drama about bravery in war and the ugliness and finality of combat.

An Episode of the Second World War in Belgium

[esteban1747 · 7/10 · 13 August 2002]

A coward officer, captain Cooney, sent part of his troops to a sure death, but the lieutenant (Jack Palance) responsible of this mission fights enough to protect his subordinates and to conclude it successfully. Other officers recognize the wrong and egoist behavior of his captain and decided to kill him. The fact is that this officer was closely friendly with his Lt. Colonel (Lee Marvin), who although misinformed of the way Cooney died, never believed this version and for so decided to propose a posthumous honor to his coward friend (!!!). Whether this really happened is not the problem, the fact is that this could take place in any war if the officers have not enough ethics as humans. This is an old film directed masterfully by Aldrich, which is a real jewel of war genre. Palance acted in an excellent way, perhaps one of his best presentations in the big screen.

Brutal Attack takes no prisoners

[st-shot · 8/10 · 18 December 2020]

Cowardice and creepy careerism are at the heart of this disturbing war film featuring outstanding performances from Jack Palance and Eddie Albert as officers at odds at the tail end of the war in Europe, 1944. One a respected leader, the other a coward with connections.

Week end wonder Captain Cooney (Albert), reluctant to engage the enemy is wasting platoon lives. Rather than be court-martialed or sent to the rear, his connections to Colonel Bartlett (Lee Marvin) prevent it. Captain Costa (Palance) appalled at the carnage Cooney is creating resorts to threatening him if he does not back them up on the next mission to secure a town.

Palance is powerfully intimidating throughout, his frustration level with Cooney at fever pitch. Albert is text book craven coward with daddy issues, his condescending smugness, attempting to disguise his terror, making him an even more infuriating individual. Probably Albert's finest dramatic performance to go along with the irony that Eddie was a bona fide war hero. Marvin as the cynical commanding officer is slightly over the top while the rest of the dogfaces convincingly battle weary.

Aldrich and his cinematographer Joe Biroc capture the depressing futility of battlefield charges as well as create maximum tension among the men in tightly framed claustrophobic interiors. Aldrich for his part does not sugar coat, glorify in any way or go Hollywood ending. A depressing but impressive work.

Men on a mission

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 10 June 2015]

Robert Aldrich brings this grim story set in the latter stages of World War 2 and conflict in a battalion where Captain Cooney sends men on a mission but is too cowardly to bail them out with firepower as he does not want to die.

The film stars Jack Palance as the tougher subordinate Costa who has seen through Eddie Albert's cowardly and drunk Captain Cooney who has used his family connections with Lee Marvin's Lt Colonel Bartlett to get himself a nice number but finds himself out of his depth and quickly losing the respect of his men.

From the opening scenes, filmed in a studio back-lot of RKO you can sense this is a low budget film. What we have is a film with some of cinema's hard men Marvin and Palance (both to be future Oscar winners) slightly playing against type. Palance is a good guy here, the platoon leader cynical about his masters. You can see ingrained in his face that he is battle worn, battle weary and sick of his superiors treating his men like some disposal commodity.

Marvin plays an effective cameo. He knows Cooney is inept, he has known him for years and he a lot to be thankful to Cooney's father. When Marvin goes back home after the war he needs his father's patronage. Maybe he really did feel in the heat of battle either Cooney will man up, get killed by the enemy or even by one of his own men.

William Smithers plays Lt Woodruff torn between his loyalty to Costa and dislike of Cooney but bound not to rock the boat but raises his concerns with Bartlett, but Bartlett dismisses his concerns as he has his own agenda.

As the film is an adaptation of a stage play, it does have too many stereotypes and rather one dimensional ones. Robert Strauss is there for broad comic relief for example.

Only Smithers comes across as conflicted where his plea to save Costa and his men when they go on a mission are rebuffed by Cooney and feels he has nowhere else to turn.

The climax of the film comes across as weak and preachy. The conflict with the German tanks does not look well staged and the incident with Costa falls victim to censorship laws where the violence had to be toned down.

I felt that the ending need to be punchier and more to the point which the showdown between Smithers and Marvin failed to bring.

Its still a film with some powerhouse performances and a good contrast to the more gung ho war films of the time.

Had potential but one-dimensional

[grantss · 5/10 · 19 November 2014]

This movie had heaps of potential: the cowardly, inept company commander, the good platoon leader who hates him and the politically-minded, turn-a-blind-eye battalion commander, the friction, all set against a WW2 backdrop.

Unfortunately it does not live up to this potential. The characters are incredibly one-dimensional and stereotypical. No attempt is made on the parts of the actors to make them anything but this.

The plot is mostly okay, but gets overly preachy and idealistic towards the end.

Furthermore, as a basic war movie it doesn't measure up. Many of the military tactics and practices didn't make sense. Characters get unit designations wrong (eg at one point battalion and company are mixed up). And you have the usual US tanks-as-German tanks issues.

The only thing that sustains this movie is the frustration at the ineptness and cowardice of Captain Cooney (Eddie Albert) and whether justice will be meted out to him. That part was very intriguing and the reason I kept watching.

Unforgettably powerful

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 28 May 2015]

Having liked a lot of Jack Palance and Lee Marvin's work, and after hearing Attack described as one of the best films for both actors, I watched Attack with high expectations...and fortunately was not let down at all.

Attack may not fit the definition of visually stunning, but it's very professionally photographed, is shot in crisp black and white that still looks good now and the claustrophobic production values are entirely appropriate for the atmosphere and setting of the film and come off very effectively. The score drives the action well and doesn't feel out of place or cheesy.

The script is poignant, hard-hitting and remarkably honest, without trying too hard, it gets a touch melodramatic towards the end but not dreadfully so, just in comparison to the rest of the film. Attack also has a very compelling story, with action/war scenes that pulsate with intensity and suspense, emotional moments that are genuinely heart-wrenching rather than overwrought and Palance's climatic scene has got to be one of the most harrowing in a war film. While Attack may have unpleasant characters, it doesn't neglect to make them interesting and in the end these unattractive characters are also ones that are easy to care for and relate to, ones where it is also easy to understand their actions. It's very skilfully directed by Robert Aldrich, who never lets the tension slip and makes the story constantly engrossing while avoiding the dangerous traps it could easily have fallen into.

Lastly, to say that the cast are very strong is an understatement, the acting is top-notch and there are a few career-bests here. Coming off particularly well is Jack Palance who has never been better in an unforgettably gut-wrenching portrayal, and while Lee Marvin has had meatier characters in his career he still gives his role here his usual steely intensity. Eddie Albert is skin-crawlingly good too, while his character is a weasel and malevolent at times in the second half of the film it was surprising at the amount of sympathy I felt for him. Buddy Ebsen is impressive and William Smithers plays one of the film's most sympathetic characters very believably, to the extent that one wonders why he didn't do more films.

To conclude, an unforgettably powerful film that has the acting and its emotional impact as its main strengths. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Impressive War Drama

[Theo Robertson · 8/10 · 7 April 2004]

Anyone remember a 1965 war movie called BATTLE OF THE BULGE ? That's the movie supposedly set during the Ardennes campaign in Belguim but instead of seeing snow shrouded forests we're led to believe the conflict took place on dusty desert plains . Unfortunately with ATTACK director Robert Aldrich makes a similar error in geography and weather conditions . There's no snow to be seen ( Apart from some fake snow in one scene ) there's no forests and you do get the feeling the movie was filmed on a hot summers day no matter how the cast try and convince you other wise . In fact I felt rather sorry for the actors dressed in heavy greatcoats jumping up and down trying to get into character and it's interesting to note that by half way through the movie everyone has stopped in their vain attempts trying to convince the audience it's a very cold day

That said ATTACK is a very impressive war drama - and please note I used the word drama in the last sentence . It's based on a play but unlike a lot of movies based on plays that often use flashback to tell the tale the roots of the source is hidden , this actually feels cinematic . The movie centres around the conflict Lt Costa who blames his commanding officer Captain Cooney for getting his platoon wiped out . The human drama of cowardice and command and the motive of revenge feature very heavily . It should also be pointed out how well Captain Cooney is written and played by Eddie Albert , he's relatively sympathetic as a weak man who seems caught up in things outside his control though at the end he does become a sort of melodramtic carichture . The whole cast do a good job and the scenes with Lee Marvin and Eddie Albert together are superb . It's such a pity no one seems to make war movies this intelligent anymore

fine but rather melodramatic war movie

[donaldking · 7/10 · 16 April 2011]

It's 1944 in France, and a cowardly American captain (Eddie Albert) causes the needless deaths of his men, led by Lt. Jack Palance. Palance promises to kill Albert if it happens again. And it does.

Jack Palance is an acquired taste, but there's always something gripping and unique about his panting and breathlessness and gnashing of teeth. He's usually a decent or damaged man caught in an uncaring society - whether it's the American army or (as in THE BIG KNIFE) a film studio. With his voice, he does things to lines that no one else can. His bravery and heroism lead him only to death in ATTACK, but Albert ends up no better.

The performances seem rather melodramatic by today's standards (or are modern 'standards' nothing more than a fashion?), especially Albert's complete breakdown toward the end. Lee Marvin appears to be the great survivor here, providing military leadership without losing his eye for the political fast lane back home. But it's a toss-up what will happen to him once William Smithers has finished his phone call. But the film ends there, and we'll never know. Buddy Ebsen is good here, his acting rather measured and careful, steadying the noisy pyrotechnics of Palance and Albert.

Looks good in black & white - the war scenes are quite realistic for the Fifties, and the more talkative scenes are in suitably claustrophobic settings. I spotted a brief bit of wartime documentary stock about half way through, but the rest of it is Aldrich through and through. (Its treatment of the philosophy of war bears some similarity to Kubrick's PATHS OF GLORY.)

A painfully accurate film about war

[r-romano · 10/10 · 3 December 2007]

My father was a veteran of World War II, and he suffered all of his remaining life - 20 years - after it was over. This was his favorite film. And this is back when you had to be lucky enough to catch it on TV.

When it became available of VHS cassette, I immediately bought it, years after my father died.

I asked him why he loved this movie so much. He told me it was just like the way it was. Each day was the day you were going to die. And, no one was going to help that.

He fought because he had to, and wanted to. But that didn't make it any easier.

The film shows much of the conflict and interplay between senior officers, but underneath all of that, it is a film about fighting in that war.

I cannot recommend it more.

Don't expect anything glorious. It is hard to watch. But it makes movies like 'Saving Private Ryan' look weak.

Paths without glory

[fostrhod · 7/10 · 4 December 2020]

Great War film, lots of quality on display from the leads and supporting cast.

Think of Kubrick Paths of Glory with a totally different ending.

human drama

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 7 June 2019]

It's Europe 1944. Lt. Costa (Jack Palance) of Fragile Fox Two calls for support from his commander Capt. Cooney (Eddie Albert) but he refuses to answer the call. Lt. Harry Woodruff tries to be the peacekeeper between the two. Cooney is more adapt at patronage than fighting. He's an incompetent coward. He owes his position to family friend battalion commander Clyde Bartlett (Lee Marvin). Bartlett refuses to deal with the situation and claims that their unit is unlikely to see any action anyways with odds of 100-1. When the Battle of the Bulge explodes, the two leaders clash as their conflict escalates.

Not everyone is a hero. This is a human drama more than a war thriller. There is plenty of war fighting although the tanks are a bit fake. It's not surprising since there is a lack of military support due the subject matter. Nevertheless, the war fighting is good enough substitution. The acting is solid although sometimes it gets too broad. At its heart, this is a great human conflict.

Small-scale World War II Action.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 7 August 2007]

You have to wonder if the success of the Caine Mutiny, arriving on screen two years before, had anything to do with this story of a company commander who is a fruitcake and is finally killed by his men. At the time of its release it was pretty shocking. Wounded men talking about "bubbles" in their chest. Jack Palance as a lieutenant who bleeds to death. And the very idea that a captain in the U. S. Army could be a drunk, a Uriah Heep, and a coward to boot. All pretty shocking in 1956.

Actually the captain, played by Eddie Albert, needn't have been depicted as a wing nut in order to be incompetent. He might just have exemplified the Peter Principle, which, for those who don't know it, states that a person who shows competence in his job is consistently promoted until he reaches a level in the hierarchy that is beyond his skills -- and there he stays. Albert's superior officer, Lee Marvin, explains this to one of Albert's lieutenants. Make Captain Albert less of a disaster by kicking him upstairs to a desk job? Absolutely not. He could never handle it and it would reflect badly on Marvin. So Albert must remain in command of a combat company, getting good men killed right and left.

The budget was very low, the shooting lasted little over a month, and the Army would simply not cooperate for obvious reasons. It shows. The German tanks, described as "really BIG ones", are about the size of a Ford Navigator. They shot it on the back lot in California, which doesn't begin to resemble the Ardennes forest. The property department couldn't even scrape up a facsimile of a German machine gun and seems to have used a British model. Much of the money spent on the film must have gone into the talent because Eddie Albert, Jack Palance, and Lee Marvin are good, as usual. (Oddly, all three had distinguished military records in the Navy, the Air Force, and the Marine Corps, respectively.) It's not a very good movie. There are times when Albert and Palance overact, almost to the point of pain. Of course there's only so much you can do with a role if it's written poorly. (This started as a stage play.) Palance's death scene is drawn out unconscionably and Palance can hardly be said to underplay it. Whatever shock value it had has long gone. The brutality now seems modest. There's a deep flaw in Albert's role too. The consequences of his behavior don't seem disastrous enough, although his character is clearly revolting.

As if the schematic diagram weren't already obvious enough, the score underlines it. On those occasions when Albert cracks up and cuddles his rabbit-fur slippers or crawls into his bunk and pulls the covers over his head, we hear "London Bridge is Falling Down" on the xylophone.

Yet it was a true shocker in its time. I saw it on its release in the El Camino theater in San Bruno, California. Strange that things get stuck in your mind for so long. I even recall the person I saw it with. On the other hand, it was disappointing, seeing this again just now, to find that over the same period my command of German had deteriorated into a kind of benign influence over it. It would be so much more constructive if we could choose which long-term memories to keep and which to discard. Oh -- and a lot more FUN.

Excellent But Under Appreciated WWII Drama

[bsmith5552 · 8/10 · 21 October 2001]

"Attack" is a WWII tale about a company of American soldiers fighting somewhere in France over some God forsaken town.

Jack Palance stars as a battle hardened platoon leader who becomes embittered with his commanding officer (Eddie Albert), who through cowardice has caused one of Palance's squads to perish in battle. The rest of the story follows the efforts of Palance and fellow platoon leader (William Smithers) to have him removed. Unfortunately Albert's commander (Lee Marvin), who has his own agenda, refuses to cooperate even though he is aware of Albert's incompetence. A second incident follows where more of Palance's men are lost over Albert's failure to act. Palance then vows to take matters into his own hands.

Palance and Albert give excellent performances as Lt. Joe Costa and Capt. Cooney respectively. Lee Marvin in an early lead role as Colonel Bartlett is also good. Rounding out the cast as members of Palance's platoon are Buddy Ebsen, Robert Strauss and Richard Jaeckel. Look for Strother Martin in a bit at the beginning of the picture.

"Attack" with it's stark black and white photography, realistic battle scenes and memorable performances by its stars, has got to rank as one of the most under appreciated of all WWII movies.

Somewhat forgotten war classic

[adamscastlevania2 · 7/10 · 18 October 2014]

(68%) A tough action war drama focusing on unfit leaders in the army handing out orders to braver, stronger men lower down the ranks. Jack Palance is on fine form in the role of a good man used as basically cannon fodder to Eddie Albert's borderline insane command, with Lee Marvin caught somewhere in between the two of them. There is a fair amount of good action, but also some scenes that do come off as a little too dry and under paced, but overall it never really bogs down too much. For good old Jack's great performance, interesting plot, good action, and fine production value, this is well worth tracking down, particularly war movie fans.

attack of ennui

[rhinocerosfive-1 · 3/10 · 18 December 2007]

I wanted to like ATTACK, and it gets every break Jack Palance, Lee Marvin and Eddie Albert ever get from me, which is many breaks indeed; but to call this movie an overlooked gem is to confuse ice with zirconium. Marvin is indestructible, even with a cardboard character and newsprint lines, but Albert is atypically embarrassing, and Palance gives a performance so overwrought he can't stop screaming even after he's dead.

These fine actors stand around a series of bunkers, declaiming if they're playing officers or mumbling as enlisted men, their endless chatter relieved by brief exterior shots of the Albertson Ranch. A social responsibility drama right out of 50s television plays out with no visible progression of story or revelation of character. Periodically we are treated to some of the least eventful combat to come out of the ETO. Finally there's a consequence to somebody's action - who cares whose, it's all so boring; but at last Palance spends five minutes trading body blows with an armored vehicle that resembles a Panzer nearly as much as it does a Checker Cab. The Ben Holt treatment is pretty intense, but this scene by its near-competence magnifies the flaws of the previous hour and a half, and renders unwatchable the remaining fifteen minutes.

A talky war picture can be fine, if the dialog wasn't already tired back on Bataan. This story was abducted from the stage, and still feels more play than film. It looks more like a teleplay. Aldrich movies always look like they were produced for TV, but any given hour of COMBAT! at least has a developed plot, a sound act structure, and a couple of decent wisecracks. James Poe adapted several plays to the screen, with varying degrees of faithfulness and quality, but never quite so unsuccessfully as here. I haven't read FRAGILE FOX, but I hope it was better than this. It probably was as long as Aldrich didn't direct it. He doesn't pose actors so much as suspend them. Static isn't the word; it's like being surrounded by Army Surplus mannequins with moving lips. Who repeat themselves.

And the music! Frank DeVol, or DeVol, as he cunningly rechristened himself in the 60s, was born to score Summer's Eve commercials and Bionic Man episodes. Through some cosmic clerical error he was allowed a long, destructive career in cinema. He serenades us with synthetic jazz, then takes a hammer to the piano wires, plucks them, strangles them. Then he strings up a cheap little waltz to follow emotional moments. BABY JANE's music has nothing on ATTACK for pure cheesy theatrics. At least the score for BABY JANE supported Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, who were enormous enough to drown it out. By contrast, Eddie Albert and Jack Palance merely help carry DeVol and Aldrich's gigantically unpleasant tune.