Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Steineded How sad is this?

Borserie it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

MartinHafer This is a very, very familiar sort of film. It features a group of raw recruits going through basic training with a tough as nails Sergeant--the same sort of thing you'd see in "Battle Cry", "Sands of Iwo Jima" and even "Full Metal Jacket" and a bazillion other war flicks made by Hollywood. There are only a few other differences--this was a Korean War-era film (and they didn't make all that many compared to the more 'popular' wars like WWII) and the Sergeant really is a nut-job! While other Sergeants SEEM like crazy men, Richard Widmark's version really is emotionally disturbed--like the sort of guy you might see on "The Jerry Springer Show" as they slap or get slapped by their woman! And, since there are so many BETTER but similar sorts of films, my recommendation is to see them first. This one isn't bad, but I just felt that the psychological aspects of it and the twisted relationship between Widmark and a lady me loved to emotionally torment really detracted from the movie.What to dislike about the film--Widmark was a nut. What to like--Karl Malden was very good, as always.

Michael_Elliott Take the High Ground! (1953) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Two years after becoming a hero in Korea, Sgt. Ryan (Richard Widmark) is back in the United States at Ft. Bliss where he must train a new group of men for battle. His partner, Sgt. Holt (Karl Malden) doesn't agree with his over aggressive manor but soon the two men have another battle, a woman (Elaine Stewart) in town. The tough-as-nails drill Sergent is a character we've seen from the early silent days to even in more recent films like AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN. I think each generation has their own films that deal with these characters and they're all ranging in terms of quality. This one here remains entertaining from start to finish even though it offers nothing new or original outside the Korean issue (and each of these films changed that depending on what war the country was in). I think what works best here are the performances by the two leads but you can't help but feel that both were somewhat letdown by the screenplay. The screenplay isn't really bad but at the same time it doesn't try to do anything new with the material. We get the typical love-hate relationship between Widmark and Malden, we get the typical "bad girl" they fall for and even the new recruits are the same type we've seen as far back as Lon Chaney's TELL IT TO THE MARINES. To be fair, you can look at this film and certain points seemed to have inspired AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN as well as Kubrick's FULL METAL JACKET but those two films took the basic training concept and did a bit more in terms of story and drama. What really caught me off guard was the direction by Brooks because at times it was rather hard to tell if he was going for comedy or drama. I think this was meant to be a drama as Widmark is constantly overbearing on the men but there's really no soul to anything we're seeing. We see Widmark being way too hard on the guys but for a reason. We see Widmark unhappy with the girl but for a reason. We see all of this stuff, are told the reason for it yet we never really feel it. Widmark turns in a nice performance but I certainly wouldn't rank it among his best. Malden plays the supporting part like no one else in the history of film could. Stewart isn't overly memorable but she's at least easy to look at. Clocking in at 101-minutes, we get pretty much everything you'd expect from a movie like this but one can't help but feel it should have been better.

walterffick An interesting Korean-War era film, starring Richard Widmark and Karl Malden, Take the High Ground depicts sixteen weeks of basic training at Fort Bliss. The film revolves around the differing personalities of two drill sergeants (Widmark and Malden) as they shape hopeless recruits into combat-ready soldiers. Widmark's character, Sgt. First Class Thorne Ryan is a battle-hardened veteran, who believes that toughness is the best way to prepare recruits for combat. Staff Sgt. Laverne Holt (Malden), however, relies on compassion to help his men adjust to army life. These differences present a few interesting conflicts, but overall, their static characters add little. Like most basic training films, this movie offers a few predictable laughs and trivial subplots, but fails to develop a deep plot. Elaine Stewart's adulterous character, in particular, is unnecessary and only adds confusion. Overall, however, Take the High Ground is watchable, if not memorable.

elcutach While this may not be the movie that made me want to join the Army in 1956, it may have helped. The plot is a formulaic coming of age in basic training story, turning boys into men. The personal interactions and love affairs of Widmark and Malden, the veterans of Korea who are now leading a trainng platoon at Fort Bliss, Texas, next to El Paso are also formulaic.The real value of this picture is as a time capsule. Nothing herein is BS, dreamed up, or recreated such as are Platoon, or Full Metal Jacket or Apocalypse Now, to mention some more modern highly praised but highly fictionalized films. Nor is it an anachronistic mish mash such or a low budget BW cheapie such as many of that period were.Everything shown here is as it was at the time of filming and the background extras and other military individuals were actually going through infantry training with the real possibility of going to combat in Korea when it was being made. (An amusing aspect is that the opening scene of the newly arrived trainees and the disciplined troops entraining for their new assignments were filmed on the same day with the same Southern Pacific locomotive and equipment. Yet supposedly took place three months apart.)Other time capsule films of the time are Bombers B-57, and Strategic Air Command, which prove that officially approved films can be entertaining and informative both.