Take the High Ground! (1953)
Director: Richard Brooks
Starring: Richard Widmark, Karl Malden, Elaine Stewart
Synopsis:
A drill sergeant eager for combat is stuck training recruits being sent off to fight in Korea.
Impressions:
For films dealing with boot camp, you typically take the recruits' perspective, but this movie is all about the drill sergeants played by Richard Widmark and Karl Malden. It's funny how little changes in fifty years between this movie and when I had my turn in the barrel. (A testament to my conditioning, my blood would run cold when the recruits would do stuff like drop their rifles.) There's a decent balance between the time spent both on and off duty. The love story angle was okay but not necessary. While not as visceral and traumatic as Full Metal Jacket, this is a good look at boot camp and worth giving a watch.
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