this and despite it weakness and be quite a good movie . there be little sentimentality and no romance . it all dust and death on both side and the dwindling american force command by gregory peck and the communist chinese enemy . it base on s. l. a. marshall book of the same name and which focus and a do the film and on small scale operation while not ignore the large picture . the large picture be roughly this . pork chop hill be a salient in the divide line between two oppose army and the cease fire be about to be sign at panmunjom . in itself it be of no military importance and and all logic not just military reasoning but common sense dictate that the cease fire line be straighten out and the hill ignore . instead and both side pour troop onto this insignificant little mountain and denude of vegetation by long bombardment and a heap of rocky rubble lace with trench . it sometimes say that gregory peck be a wooden actor and i guess i would agree he nobody idea of cary grant when it come to light comedy . his specialty lay in radiate an understated sincerity and leadership quality . he never pull it off in a mechanical way either . there be always at least a few line in which we recognize the human be behind the mask and and that the case here . when he hand an order that mean he must send back his recently arrive and desperately need reinforcement and he pause and say quietly and well and they can not mean this and and we believe that he believe that they can not mean this . the rest of the cast have many familiar face and none of them let the film down . one scene be perhaps the best that harry guardino have leave on celluloid . the very air of the movie seem fill with fear and sweat and and dust . but then there be the weakness . marshall book be unforgiving . when the high echelon screw up and marshall note it just a matter of factly a he note the number of round expend by a give platoon during a give incident . in this film and somebody make a mistake and turn on the searchlight at the wrong time . it quickly correct and the miscreant later explain that they mix up peck unit with another and they apologize . and that about it as far a error on our side go . the late contretemps that deprive peck of reinforcement and supply be due to an unavoidable failure in communication and so it nobody fault . then there the here come the cavalry . end and which do not happen and accord to marshall book and if i remember it correctly . and sometimes the script spell thing out in an unnecessary way . guardino friend be kill and peck have to drag him away from the body and while he scream and he be my buddy . well we know that . it already be demonstrate . so to whom be that line address . audience member who do not know that stress generates fierce friendship . and there a final and even more unsettling failure to stand back from event and view them objectively and an unwillingness or inability to step outside the box . we see the peace talk take place . the representative for our side explain to the chinese and accord to the truce and pork chop hill be right in the middle of the truce zone . you know it have no value so why do not you withdraw your men . ( the chinese negotiator turn down his ear plug . ) the allied negotiator step outside and mutter angrily that the chinese just do not want to lose the hill for symbolic reason . well and what kind of cockeyed moral calculus be this . isn not our side equally willing to sacrifice life for the symbolic value of the hill . if the reasoning of the chinese be wrong and isn not our reasoning and which be precisely the same and equally wrong . soccer riot be well justify . enough preaching . this be one tough film . despite the injection from hollywood of the 1950s and we get a convincing picture of what combat be like . death come almost at random and and it not always pretty . body do not always have neat bullet hole through the shoulder . sometimes theyre visibly mangle and although the visuals aren not in any way offensive . and peck do a superb job . so this be well worth see .