The Hill (1965)

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

My wife and I first saw "The Hill" some thirty years ago, and ever since then, when one of us barks, "STAFF !!!," the other barks, "SUH !!!" Believe me. If you see this movie once, it will change your life. The IMDB reviews are now upwards of 20 years old, and what was true then, is true now: The film is an absolute MASTERPIECE. I am a serious movie buff about serious movies, and I have been trying to think of a movie whose direction is the equal of Sidney Lumet's direction here. I can think of one: "All About Eve" (directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950). But that is the only one I can think of. The dialogue is delivered at a rate not seen or heard since the "screwball" comedies of the 1930s. One of the things that makes Lumet's direction a standout is the fact that there may be a half-dozen actors in the scene, all of them talking at the speed of light. Recommendation: English subtitles! I haven't read much commentary on Harry Andrews' performance as the Sergeant Major. After much reflection over many years, I conclude that his performance is more subtle and nuanced than any other. He is not a sadist, for example, despite his ferocity. From the beginning, he is cautioning moderation ("six times up the hill, no more"), and he continues to do so throughout the movie. (Listen carefully.) And he returns the letters to Stephens. (You will miss it unless you are watching carefully.) He seems genuinely shocked that Staff Williams has maltreated one of the prisoners. In his final scene, he leaves the prisoners' cell muttering to himself, "In my 25 years I have never . . . ." This is the key teaching moment: The British Army will never be the same. And Staff Williams is unmasked as the coward he really is, a not uncommon trait among insecure men who suddenly have a little power over other men. Connery, of course, knows that his cellmates have gone too far, and he very effectively and powerfully expresses his frustration and despair. But, we know it's temporary.I recognized Staff Harris' voice. But, where had I seen and heard him? Then it came to me. He played the elder Robert the Bruce in "Braveheart," thirty years later. Knowing that now, I would not object to a director's cut, where the elder Bruce addresses his son as "Staff!" Nor would I object to the obvious response!. This is one of the best movies ever made.

Sent to a North African military British prison for the slightest infraction, a group of men find that the enemy outside the prison is preferable to the brutish British men "rehabilitating" them. This expose of hypocritical behavior during a time when freedom was worth dying for shows the monsters weren't all fighting for Hitler, Mussolini or Hirohito. It's an expose of corruption occurring when the wrong people are put in charge, turning everyone who works for them into animals. That is an interesting take on the genre of movies set during World War II, warning of the dangers of power corrupting, making me wonder how prisoners of war would be treated under such corruption by so-called allies. With a cast lead by Sean Connery and Harry Andrews, this is war drama in a different kind of disturbing way, showing the worst kind of mistreatment possible, and with the glee of those barking orders. Those orders have all of the prisoners running up and down a steep hill covered in sand under the blazing desert heat. The black and white photography makes the hill even more sinister looking, and closeups of the men as they face their first encounter with the hill confirms the difficult task they perform over and over, not only running up and down, but slinging heavy sandbags as well. It's like a slow occurring death, not only excruciatingly exhausting, but emotionally and mentally torturous as well. Director Sidney Lumet strikes a cord as do Andrews as the evil warden and Ossie Davis as a British subject from the West Indies who is treated with even more disdain because of his skin color.

One of the best movies ever made. Compelling story of inmates in a army prison during World War 2. New arrivals have to deal with the heat, a rigid regime and a new Staff guard eager to make a name for himself. A masterclass in character driven drama that makes all action driven, over the top, stunt laden, explosion filled, car-chasing, fight filled flicks pale into insignificance. Sean Connery's best with Ian Bannen, Harry Andrews, Ian Hendry et al all on top notch form. Special mention to Ossie Davis with a sparkling performance. Some people may be put off by the Britishness of it all, but the conflict and the tension is multi-lingual in its hostility of human discord.

The Hill is a brutal film to watch. It stars a (relatively) young Sean Connery as he attempts to avoid being typecast as James Bond and features recognizable British actors in support. It's a psychological thriller set in a prison camp for court-martialed British soldiers, a rugged, terrifying camp run by a ruthless sergeant-major, played by Harry Andrews.Connery is Joe Roberts, in the klink for slugging a superior officer after refusing to (re)enter the field of battle (his squad was hopelessly outnumbered and outflanked; see also Paths of Glory). Roberts is tossed in a cell with fellow cons George Stevens (Alfred Lynch), Jacko King (Ossie Davis), Monty Bartlett (Roy Kinnear), and Jock McGrath (Jack Watson), who alternately resent and respect Roberts' actions.The hill of the title is a steep, sandy incline in the middle of the Sahara, where the camp's located. Convicts are tasked with double-timing it up one side and down the other, carrying a loaded backpack and their kit, or duffel bag. And then back again. The hill is used as a way for RSM Wilson (Andrews) to break them, to make them into real soldiers again.Trouble arises when Wilson's second in command, Staff Sergeant Williams (Ian Hendry) badgers one of the convicts so relentlessly that the man dies, thus kicking the battle of wits between prisoner and gatekeeper to an entirely new level. And this is where we really begin to see the unvarnished war of man versus man, as Wilson and Williams strain to break not only Roberts but also his cellmates.Connery is really fantastic as the strong-willed Roberts, and Wilson – who played plenty of authoritarian, stiff-backed British characters, is his equal. It's good to see Connery in a movie that transcends his sex appeal and his association with a certain superspy. Filmed in stark black and white (as black and white tends to be), The Hill is near the apex of psychological war films.