This slow-moving war film--really an anti-war film--has a too-obvious screenplay by blacklisted Ben Maddow, but it is starkly photographed among rocky terrain--a fine backdrop for the tension and fear of war. Anthony Mann's direction is excellent, and the film features many fine performances, among which Robert Ryan, Aldo Ray and Robert Keith--playing a shell-shocked colonel without a line of dialogue--are standouts.

It's a routine 'lost patrol' war drama.

Though well-shot and great looking like any Anthony Mann film, it was a bit underwhelming, especially compared to, say, Fuller's The Steel Helmet. Mann's film felt a bit schematic. Performances are strong --Aldo Ray especially lends an air of authenticity that is usually missed in Hollywood depictions of war.