★ 9 / 10
You're a clever bag of tricks, you are
John Chard
You're a clever bag of tricks, you are, Roberts. Hot and sweaty, bold and brutal, Sidney Lumet's The Hill is a tour de force of incarceration based cinema.…
You're a clever bag of tricks, you are, Roberts.
Hot and sweaty, bold and brutal, Sidney Lumet's The Hill is a tour de force of incarceration based cinema. Story has five new inmates sent to a North African based British Army Prison, the centre piece of which is a manufactured hill that is used as a punishment tool. The new recruits, headed by Joe Roberts (Sean Connery), quickly fall foul of the superiors, especially the venomous Staff Sergeant Williams (Ian Hendry), but these boys wont take it lying down...
With no music and Oswald Morris' monochrome photography ensuring atmosphere is perpetually claustrophobic, the harsh edges of the story strike hard. Be it overt bullying by those in charge - pushing men evidently too far - or racism, Lumet melds everything together superbly for harsh viewing experience, tightening the screws every quarter of film. Come the shattering conclusion it's a merciful release for the viewers, a chance to start breathing properly again, even if your mind is ablaze with a number of thoughts.
This is very much an actors picture, which seems a given since it's adapted by Ray Rigby from his own play, but a mightily strong cast do sterling work with the tinderbox screenplay. Ossie Davis, Harry Andrews, Ian Bannen, Roy Kinnear, Alfred Lynch and Michael Redgrave fill out the other key roles, each giving their characters vivid depth without resorting to histrionics and scenery chewing. Which of course is a testament to Lumet's skills as a director of actors.
Slow burning intensity bristles with the corrosive nature of machismo fuelled authority, an unforgettable film and highly recommended to those who have not sampled it yet. 9/10
Read full review
★ 8 / 10
"I am going to report this entire incident!"
thinker1691
It isn't often Sean Connery makes a film which becomes more memorable than his efforts to make it. Such is the way with a few he decided not mention in his…
It isn't often Sean Connery makes a film which becomes more memorable than his efforts to make it. Such is the way with a few he decided not mention in his filmography, such as "Safu." You must see it to realize that despite Connery, the film must have a true message. Such is the case with "The Hill." This film does have a message and it is harsh, brutal and to the point. The setting is a British military prison located in the desert and stocked with ex-soldiers who've been court martialed and now must be repatriated by backbreaking discipline, and grim punishment. With inmates coming and going at the prison, it is not too difficult to imagine a new lot which includes Joe Roberts (Sean Connery) a broken Sgt. Major. Pvt. Jacko King (Ossie Davis, who is superb in this role) Pvt. Alfred Lynch, (George Stevens) Pvt. Monty Bartlett (Roy Kinnear) and Pvt. Jock McGrath (Jack Watson). These men and others are new inmates and are pitted against the ruling officers who, will receive as much as they give. This includes the governing Non-commission staff like, Royal Sgt. Major Bert Wilson (Harry Andrews, superb acting) and Sgt. Harris (Ian Bannen) who despite their station are set to collide with each other as well as with the prisoners. Upon entering the prison, the audience is allowed to see how the men will be affected as they are introduced to the punishing ordeal of . . . The Hill. ****
Read full review
•••
Not really a war film