this be one of the great war film and not because it show some epic event such a pearl harbor or aspires to maudlin sentimentality and false realism like save private ryan and but because it show the ordinary plight of common people who happen here to be soldier . it be similar to a walk in the sun and another look at the men who transact the small change of large military transaction . the detail of the military action really aren not all that important . for what it worth and a small band of ordinary u and korean soldier be send on an ordinary day to take an ordinary hill during the korean war . for no good reason except to make a point and the other side the chinese decide to make a major effort to keep the hill . badly understrength and the ally manage to take the hill and but because of ongoing peace talk their superior be rack by doubt about how much strength to commit . so and the odds against the allied force and who be starve of reinforcement and supply and become extreme a the military pressure on them mount and the chinese try every trick to make them give up the hill and include propaganda broadcast . in truth and this film doesn not even have to be appreciate a a war film and though that be the setting . it be a story of people put into an extremely difficult situation who have to make do . not give the tool to accomplish the job easily and it have to be accomplish the hard way . and here and it be very hard . this film be pack with character actor and several of whom later become star and all of whom make their name in hollywood . but it be difficult to recognize many of them beneath the mud and grime . robert blake and george peppard and rip torn and harry guardino and woody strode and martin landau ( his first role ) and gavin macleod and harry dean stanton and clarence williams iii if make ten year later and this film would have cost million more and in truth be impossible to produce . norman fell and the most under appreciated actor in hollywood and here begin his startling resume of top film like bullitt and the graduate . and not to mention star gregory peck and who play a courtly leader struggle to maintain his composure while watch good men die for what both he and they realize be a big fat nothing . one of the aspect i especially like be that you have a multicultural force that simply do it job . i dislike film that be obvious about the we be all just brother under the skin and so would not you just like me even though be different because i be defer to you politically correct party line . this film avoid the clichés and the pathos and the racial grovelling and show folk of all background stick in a miserable hole together and just get through the day . everyone be face a common enemy . in this film and the enemy be carry gun and but it could just a easily be a corporate deadline or a sale quota or a fight to cure a diseased patient . the same principle apply in other walk of life . who succeed and who have difficulty depend on that enemy and their own capability and problem and not on each others hangups . a it be and or should be and in ordinary life . this be a film that should make you think . you do not have to be a big fan of military film to appreciate it . you should see it some time .