Synopsis
North Africa, World War II. British soldiers on the brink of collapse push beyond endurance to struggle up a brutal incline. It's not a military objective. It's The Hill, a manmade instrument of torture, a tower of sand seared by a white-hot sun. And the troops' tormentors are not the enemy, but their own comrades-at-arms.
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Cast
- Sean ConneryJoe Roberts
- Harry AndrewsR.S.M. Wilson
- Ian BannenHarris
- Alfred LynchGeorge Stevens
- Ossie DavisJacko King
- Roy KinnearMonty Bartlett
- Jack WatsonJock McGrath
- Ian HendryStaff Sergeant Williams
- Michael RedgraveThe Medical Officer
- Norman BirdCommandant
Recommendations
- 88
USA Today
Lots of sand but no day at the beach for its characters -- and not, from all appearances, the actors, either. Among the best of director Sidney Lumet's movies not set in New York. [08 Jun 2007, p.8E] - 83
Entertainment Weekly
Rebel-with-a-cause clichés are mostly averted by sturdy acting, Oswald Morris’ vivid black-and-white cinematography, and a satisfyingly bleak conclusion. - 80
Empire
Atmospherically black-and-white photography provides suitable accompaniment to Sidney Lumet's unrelenting direction, with the two leads into it with plenty of relish. - 80
Time Out
Sean Connery took a break from Bond to give a sterling performance in this awesomely intense drama set in a North African British army camp, where the favourite punishment for prisoners is to send them clambering up and down a man-made hill in the full heat of the day. - 80
Variety
It is a harsh, sadistic and brutal entertainment, superbly acted and made without any concessions to officialdom. - 75
TV Guide Magazine
An intense, if slightly overlong, drama. The film is well assembled, and the performances are all quite good, especially Connery and Hendry. - 75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Lumet uses every claustrophobic camera angle in the book to make the viewer feel as trapped as the characters. [04 Nov 2000, p.12]
