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Hell Is for Heroes

1962 · 90 min

A gritty, claustrophobic war film that keeps you on edge with its tense deception and grim, fatalistic atmosphere.

Tagline
This is the living hell for heroes
Overview
World War II drama where the action centers around a single maneuver by a squad of GIs in retaliation against the force of the German Siegfried line. Reese joins a group of weary GIs unexpectedly ordered back into the line when on their way to a rest area. While most of the men withdraw from their positions facing a German pillbox at the far side of a mine-field, half a dozen men are left to protect a wide front. By various ruses, they manage to convince the Germans that a large force is still holding the position. Then Reese leads two of the men in an unauthorized and unsuccessful attack on the pillbox, in which the other two are killed; and when the main platoon returns, he is threatened with court-martial. Rather that face the disgrace, and in an attempt to show he was right, he makes a one-man attack on the pillbox.
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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • tensestrength 3 of 3
  • bleakstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • war
  • survival
  • isolation
  • guilt
  • redemption
Places
  • countryside
  • military
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • single location
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action6
Horror3
Humour3
Realism8
Romance0
Tension8
Darkness7
Complexity5
Emotional weight7

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Where to watch in the UK

Rent or buy
  • Apple TV Store
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  • YouTube

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
war
Directed by
Don Siegel
Written by
Richard Carr, Robert Pirosh
Starring
Steve McQueen, Bobby Darin, Fess Parker, Harry Guardino, James Coburn, Mike Kellin, Joseph Hoover, Bill Mullikin
Music
Leonard Rosenman
Cinematography
Harold Lipstein
Runtime
90 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
German, Polish, English

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