Between Heaven and Hell

Before he started making huge, bloated, disastrously money-losing films in the '60s (Dr. Doolittle, Che, et al.), director Richard Fleischer was responsible for some good, tight well-made little B pictures. "The Narrow Margin" and "Armored Car Robbery" in the early '50s were outstanding film-noir classics, made for very little money. Fleischer made this in the period between his low-budget black-and-white thrillers and his '60s monstrosities, and it's a good one. Robert Wagner is the callow, spoiled rich son of a Southern landowner whose National Guard unit is suddenly activated during World War II and sent to the Pacific to fight the Japanese. Wagner finds himself in the same company with the sharecroppers and tradespeople he scorned back home, and is sent to a base run by a power-mad, vengeful officer who treats his troops the same way Wagner treated his " 'croppers" back home.

This is one of Wagner's better performances. Unlike many of his earlier films, Wagner doesn't try to get by on his good looks and youthful charm; he turns in a first-rate performance here, as do most of the cast. Broderick Crawford as Wagner's crazed commander doesn't quite fit the part, and Skip Homeier--usually a solid, reliable character actor--goes a bit overboard as one of Crawford's goons, but Buddy Ebsen, as one of Wagner's sharecroppers who turns out to be his best friend, L.Q. Jones and Tod Andrews are fine in pivotal parts, and Fleischer stages some exciting battle scenes. Altogether, a well-made, exciting little B picture from 20th Century Fox--a bit garish in Technicolor (black and white would have been more effective)--but well worth your time to see it. Highly recommended.

It deals with a prejudiced and wealthy Southern owner: Robert Wagner who cultivates cotton, having a beautiful wife : Terry Moore, and a powerful father-in-law : Robert Keith. Shortly after, he becomes enlisted into WWIi in the Pacific campaign, there he finds how wrong his misconceptions are, as the has to command a suicide platoon with unexpected consequences . Along the way the starring attempts to help his war colleagues and to survive at whatever means .Then a psychotic commandant : Broderick Crawford, assigns him along with his squadron to a suicide mission behind enemy lines.

Decent WWII movie with worthy sentiments, thrills, battles and exceptional interpretations, especially for its enjoyable support cast. All of them make this rather simplistic tale a meaningful movie. Director knits the action together, providing spectacular battles, impressive fights and action enough. Stars Robert Wagner as the haughty Southern gentleman who is forced to buck his ideas when he is sent to a Pacific island , there the snob sergeant learns all about humility and humanity in the tough times that follow. The best roles go to Broderick Crawford as a stiff-upper-lip and psycho officer, he would subsequently play a similar role in the Spaghetti Western : Mutiny in Fort Sharp , furthermore, the great secondary Buddy Ebsen who is frankly magnificent. Other important secondaries appearing are as follows : Robert Keith, Brad Dexter, Harvey Lembeck, Mark Damon, Scathman Crothers , Frank Gorshin, Skip Homeier and L. Q. Jones, all of them would have notorious cinematic careers.

It contains a rousing and thrilling musical score by the classic composer Hugo Friedhofer. Colorful cinematography in Cinemascope and Technicolor by Leo Tover. The motion picture was well directed by Richard Fleischer, though it has a few gaps. Richard keeps his head down and attempts not let the worthy feelings saturate the proceedings entirely. He was a good craftsman who directed a lot of films concerning all kinds of genres with a special penchant for Action, Fim Noir, Adventure, thriller, such as : "Red Sonja, Ashanti, Conan the Destroyer, The Prince and the Pauper, Mandingo, Mr Majestick, The Don is dead, Soylent Green, The new centurions, See no evil, Rillington Place, The Boston strangler, Fantastic voyage, Barabbas, Compulsion, The Vikings, 20.000 leagues under the sea, The narrow margin, Armored clay pigeon, Follow me quietly and Trapped". Rating 7/10 above average.

Never even heard of this movie until I was deployed to Somalia in 93. During down time we would watch it on VHS.

Very good war story. Buddy Ebsen stole the show, as did Broderick Crawford (in a hammie kind of way).

I liked it so much, that I stole the VHS after we returned...tell no one. For the record, the statues of limitation have passed.

Brad Dexter was the only one of "The Magnificent Seven" not to become a major star. When you see his performance in "Between Heaven and Hell," you will wonder why.

He is given a very sympathetic character to play, and gives in return one of his best performances.

Buddy Ebsen started show biz life as a minor, but pleasant, song and dance man, but, as shown here, he became one of the finest dramatic actors of the century (despite such obstacles as "The Beverly Hillbillies").

"Between Heaven and Hell" is a very generic title, and seems to have very little to do with this movie. It has been used dozens of times, and maybe once or twice, somewhere, it was appropriate. Maybe.

Richard Fleischer's directing and Leo Tover's photography, though, overcome the trite title and well complement the excellent acting in presenting a dramatic war story.

From the opening shot, there is fluidity in the camera work that awed me, that left me admiring Mr. Fleischer more than I ever had before. If you don't like war movies -- and I don't -- you will want to watch this one for the photography, including the scenery.

One complaint: The protagonist, played well by Robert Wagner, goes through the mandatory (made so by "the rules of drama") change, but there is no good explanation of his motives, of why he changes.

Perhaps it is plain, right before our eyes, in a manner of speaking only because it is never explicated. But there really should have been some motivational explanations.

Still, it was plausible and reasonable, and, again, the acting and camera work are so good -- no, excellent -- "Between Heaven and Hell" is definitely worth watching.

By the way, do not miss a chance to see this just because the On Demand description is so disgustingly PC. There is no "racism" even though that PC description implies there is.

I found it via the Time Warner Cable system's On Demand. And free!

I have a large collection of war movies and consider this one to be among the best ever made. Many of the war movies have what I consider to be too many flashback scenes of home and try to become love stories with a few battle scenes. These scenes in Between Heaven and Hell actually have a real purpose in the story. More than any war movie that I have seen, this one shows a trend in American history that is often overlook—the fact that wars and the men who serve in them traditionally return home with a more egalitarian outlook, hungry to reform the society that they left. Between Heaven and Hell shows a man's transformation into a better person as a result of his war experiences. Sam Gifford is a man on the edge of breaking from the strain of war. He has experienced loss and hardship and realized that in the past he has been the unnecessary source of it for others. Between Heaven and Hell has a psychological realism that most war movies lack. It shows war heroes for what they are—men who rise above their ordinary selves to do extraordinary things in adversity. This is great story telling with great characters.