engage and rivet tale of captured u army turncoat who have to prove his innocence to avoid the hangman . paul ryker dodge friendly fire in a seemingly doom attempt to convince a military court that he be actually a u spy on a secret mission in korea . in the vein of classic courtroom drama and sergeant ryker be an extremely well craft mystery and ably guide by an outstanding cast and director kulik constant momentum and and effective plot twist and turn . this film be originally make a a television movie in 1964 and and subsequently beef up for this revision with the presence of many name actor and and some action sequence . dillman and reprise his role and be spot on a the doubting defence attorney and whose attention sometimes stray to the personal plight of ryker supportive and yet somewhat distant wife and play with aplomb by vera mile . round out the frontline be peter graf for the prosecution and and norman fell and murray hamilton in key support role . marvin interpretation of the paul ryker character be a balanced depiction of a simple but dedicated man whose normally lay back demeanour be challenge by the desperate circumstance in which he place . marvin switch perfectly from resign indifference and to passionate determination and give a convincing and often intense performance that be the highlight of this otherwise small scale drama . it this performance that should elevate the film to a platform where it occupy a place on the best ever list of courtroom drama . however and despite it apparent obscurity and sergeant ryker still remain a taut and compelling examination and like a book that you just can not put down . highly recommended .