The Hook

When you think of Nick Adams, you probably think of Boomer in Picnic, the irritating nerd who pesters Kim Novak for a date. Or you remember his drunken ridiculousness in Pillow Talk as he paws Doris Day in his car. You certainly don't think of a good actor, which is why you should rent the heavy drama The Hook. If he earned a Rag award for his performance and beat out Bobby Darin in Captain Newman, M. D., it's a safe bet he's impressive.

This mental thriller involves a prisoner of war held captive by three American soldiers, Kirk Douglas, Nick Adams, and Robert Walker Jr. The unnamed Korean (played by Pancho Magalona) doesn't speak any English, so they're just left to interpret his expressions from his haunting stare. When they receive orders to kill the prisoner, each man goes through his own reluctance to pull the trigger. Kirk is the macho head honcho ordering everyone around, Bob Jr. Is the sensitive one who tries to get to know the prisoner, and Nick is the obedient soldier with a secret past.

This movie is very tense and at times hard to watch, especially since you can imagine situations like it playing out in real life. Sometimes soldiers received orders not to take prisoners. The Hook will keep you on the edge of your seat, so don't get up for more popcorn.

Sgt. P. J. Briscoe (Kirk Douglas) and two others are clearing out an outpost when they are attacked by a plane during the waning days of the Korean War. Their job is to destroy all the equipment and load the remaining fuel onto a civilian ship run by Capt. Van Ryn. The plane crashes and Private Dennison manages to save one of the pilots. The three Americans and their prisoner get a ride on Van Ryn's ship. They are ordered by command to get rid of the prisoner.

This is trying to be a character study play rather than a compelling war thriller. There seems to be an easy solution right from the beginning. The way the order is worded, Briscoe could simply let the prisoner swim for freedom. There has to be more. By his own words, Briscoe is only concerned about getting out of the Army and retiring with a full pension. He's been hardened by the war but he needs to be harder. There has to be some malevolence in his character for the good vs evil to work at peak performance. It's also weird to have the enemy bomb them with what looks like a WWII allied bomber. The dialogue is overly wordy. I like the unique premise but it feels too much like an overly written play. It feels dragged out.

The intro to this film indicates that this story is universal and could apply to any war...or any country...and this is quite true. And, this universality of the story make this an exceptional war film.

When the story begins, some American soldiers are loading trucks with airplane fuel which will soon be transported to the front. However, during this process, a North Korean plane attacks...killing one of the men. The plane soon crashes and a lone man bails out of the craft. Now when the surviving three American soldiers enter the ship, they have a prisoner.

Once aboard the ship, the men contact headquarters and are told that they were NOT to bring the prisoner in with them. In other words, they were to kill him! This is clearly a war crime...and is against the articles of war. The sergeant (Kirk Douglas) clearly seems to LIKE this order...one of the men, one of the privates (Robert Walker Jr.) thinks the order is monstrous and refuses to do it. The sergeant takes delight in goading this private but despite this, he will NOT kill the man. So, the sadistic sergeant then tries to get the other private to do it...

The story is a great look at human nature...the good as well as the bad. And, it reminds us that the German soldiers of WWII were not the only ones who murdered and chalked it all up to 'just following orders'. A very strong film whose only shortcoming is its pacing (it could have been shortened a bit and that would have made a stronger picture).

The intentions are quite sincere, generous, but I hardly got glued to this story, despite the good directing from a guy whose movies have never excited me that much. I mean George Seaton, who was at his top with 36 HOURS, offering a plot far more engrossing than this tedious one. I won't say any harm about this movie though, as I did with another George Seaton's film : COUNTERFEIT TRAITOR. So, it remains a film to watch, if only for Kirk Douglas. Only the finale part is quite the best of the film, but that's not a surprise to find the most exciting of a movie in the end. It could be seen as a pacifist film; at least a bit.

I enjoy watching movies and will most often make a selection because of the actors, then maybe because of the theme, or occasionally because of a recommendation. "The Hook" is a movie that I had never heard of, so seeing Kirk Douglas on the cover is what hooked me for this war movie. Also Robert Walker Jr is someone that I first saw in TV's _"Star Trek" (1966) {Charlie X (#1.2)}_ (qv) playing a 17yr boy, so what would he be like in a movie produced 3 years earlier.

The opening of this movie includes "This is a story of men in war, not men at war. And the two are not the same." To understand my view, I am a baby-boomer who has never served in the military, but I have known many who have served. Most of these men don't really talk about their experiences, so I often wonder if my views on war movies would be very different of those people who have served. My preference would be that countries would not be at war, but regardless of this I believe we need to support those who chose to serve in the roles in which they are assigned.

"The Hook" is a title that showed no relevance before I watched the movie, and I never did catch. Is this an anti-war movie, or a personal interaction story, or war conflict drama, and this question repeats itself for 90 minutes. Regardless the movie itself is compelling. We are engaged with three surviving servicemen vacating a military post upon a 'neutral' merchant vessel, plus an enemy retrieved after he has bailed from his failing aircraft. Your journey is to imagine your response to their scenarios. Would you have rescued the enemy at all? How would you treat him on this merchant ship? Just imagine how you would respond to engaging an enemy on the battlefield; how is it different or the same, across an eating table? Kirk Douglas, Robert Walked, and Nick Adams are the enlisted men facing these scenarios.

I enjoyed this movie, in spite of moments of "I wouldn't do that!". The movie is a must for Kirk Douglas fans, and highly recommended for anyone interested in war movies. I don't know if actual enlisted people would behave this way, but "The Hook" is wonderfully acted and does not need the tonnage of special effects that are today's production norms.