Review of Hell in Korea

Director Julian Amyes' movie "A Hill in Korea" is a low-budget British combat epic about a patrol of English Army soldiers on a reconnaissance mission in 1951. Nothing about it is light-hearted and happy-go-luck. Nobody serves as comic relief. Everything is appropriately grim and gritty as these Brits find themselves outnumbered and out gunned by the enemy. Things don't look too bad for them at the outset. They repulse several front assault charges, but eventually the fighting takes its toll and the men begin to disintegrate. At one point, they have to contend with an enemy tank and successfully knock it out of action with a bazooka. The patrol consists primarily of white Britons. One turns psychotic, while another behaves like a coward and sabotages their wireless. Gradually, they begin to die one by one, but at no point does the film indulge in heroics. Aside from being the first British film about their troops in Korea, this war movie isn't extremely memorable. Nevertheless, the cast is first-rate. Look for future British stars and sturdy character actors, among them Michael Caine in his film debut, Robert Shaw, Stanley Baker, Stephen Boyd, Robert Brown, George Baker, Percy Herbert, and Harry Andrews. After our heroes retreat from a village that the North Korean put to the torch, they take refuge in a Buddhist temple atop a hill and fight it out with the enemy. Scenarists Ian Dalrymple and Anthony Squire derived their screenplay from Max Catto's novel. You can tell that this isn't one of those war is a glorious enterprise movies when U.S. pilots show up like the cavalry and then accidentally bomb the Brits. The action covers three days and two nights. The minor but interesting film virtually recycles Malcolm Arnold's orchestral score from "Bridge on the River Kwai." Future James Bond director Peter Hunt of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" edited this black & white 81-minute saga. Harry Andrews and Michael Caine would later work together again in "Too Late The Hero" and "The Battle of Britain." Robert Brown would later replace Bernard Lee in the James Bond franchise as 007's boss M. Stephen Boyd would win an Academy Award for "Ben-Hur." Robert Shaw would appear in "Jaws" and "The Sting" at the height of his career after trying to kill 007 in "From Russia with Love." For the record, not only did Michael Caine serve in the Korean War, he also provided technical advice for the filmmakers.