Rating: 
Summary: Great War Film
Review: Pork Chop Hill is a woefully undervalued war film, superior to some of its more heralded genre partners. The reason is that Pork Chop Hill presents a somewhat complex string of events, stretching from the battlefield to the negotiating table. It pulls this combination off flawlessly, and also delivers a poignant message concerning wars, and the men who fight them.Pork Chop Hill is the story of a company of American GI's in the Korean War, commanded by Lt. Clemens, portrayed magnificently by a stoic and brave Gregory Peck. They are ordered to advance on a heavily defended Chinese hill, a geographical point of little consequence. Told the hill is lightly defended, Peck advances with confidence, but it quickly becomes clear that this is far from the mop up operation promised by his superiors. He takes heavy casualties, and is drawn into a fierce battle against overwhelming Chinese forces. Meanwhile, his communication to the rear is cut, and Peck is forced to make some tough decisions on his own. Shockingly, the commanders fail to understand the facts on the ground, and continue to make woefully ill informed decisions, in order to save face. Their inaction causes numerous deaths, and Peck is stuck in a battle he cannot win. The film also shows the high command, who care little about a minor battle and the men involved. Peck is absolutely wonderful as the solid battlefield commander who will do anything for his men. When his troops falter, he is there to steel them. One of the most effective scenes in the film is when Peck is confronted by a soldier who has deserted his position and questions the worth of the ground they are on. Peck tells him the age-old battle axiom, that the lands worth is measured by the amount of blood spilled, and that you fight for your friends, nothing else. A unique point in Pork Chip Hill is the emphasis on the Chinese propaganda system, which must have been devastating, as it effects the viewer, and must have been even worse on the actual soldiers involved. It is just a great battlefield film in so many ways, a must see for fans of cinema and especially for Gregory Peck admirers.
Rating:
Summary: Great War Film
Review: Pork Chop Hill is a woefully undervalued war film, superior to some of its more heralded genre partners. The reason is that Pork Chop Hill presents a somewhat complex string of events, stretching from the battlefield to the negotiating table. It pulls this combination off flawlessly, and also delivers a poignant message concerning wars, and the men who fight them. Pork Chop Hill is the story of a company of American GI's in the Korean War, commanded by Lt. Clemens, portrayed magnificently by a stoic and brave Gregory Peck. They are ordered to advance on a heavily defended Chinese hill, a geographical point of little consequence. Told the hill is lightly defended, Peck advances with confidence, but it quickly becomes clear that this is far from the mop up operation promised by his superiors. He takes heavy casualties, and is drawn into a fierce battle against overwhelming Chinese forces. Meanwhile, his communication to the rear is cut, and Peck is forced to make some tough decisions on his own. Shockingly, the commanders fail to understand the facts on the ground, and continue to make woefully ill informed decisions, in order to save face. Their inaction causes numerous deaths, and Peck is stuck in a battle he cannot win. The film also shows the high command, who care little about a minor battle and the men involved. Peck is absolutely wonderful as the solid battlefield commander who will do anything for his men. When his troops falter, he is there to steel them. One of the most effective scenes in the film is when Peck is confronted by a soldier who has deserted his position and questions the worth of the ground they are on. Peck tells him the age-old battle axiom, that the lands worth is measured by the amount of blood spilled, and that you fight for your friends, nothing else. A unique point in Pork Chip Hill is the emphasis on the Chinese propaganda system, which must have been devastating, as it effects the viewer, and must have been even worse on the actual soldiers involved. It is just a great battlefield film in so many ways, a must see for fans of cinema and especially for Gregory Peck admirers.
Rating: 
Summary: Not enough pork makes Hill a barebones bore
Review: Pork Chop Hill starts out with a noble idea. That being to present a grimly realistic portrait of war. And it does--sort of. Sherman once said that war is hell. He must have been inspired by watching Pork Chop Hill because the movie's pace is hell to sit through. Hill's director forgot that movies, while striving to be educational, should at heart be entertaining. Hill plays like a drawn-out documentary instead of a riveting look into the frivolity of the Korean War. One of its problems is that it would have been better served shot in color instead of black and white. Color would have broken up the monochromatic monotony of the hilly Korean landscape (which make the movie real, but boring). The only relief from the barebones surroundings comes near the end of the movie when we get inside the American bunkers and see the impassioned plea for reinforcements by lead soldier Gregory Peck. Peck does a yeoman job of acting, but it is too little too late. For in the end there are too few intriguing, rousing production values to give Pork Chop Hill meat.
Rating:
Summary: A classic war movie
Review: Sadly, the Korean war is often overlooked by everyone who was not there. It took place between the glory soaked WWII and the protested Vietnam war. Hollywood never paid much attention to this war. This is the best, and one of the few, Korean war films. Gregory Peck is a tremendous actor. The action is realistic. I would rate this with classics like "Platoon". My father fought in this war, and we have watched the picture together. A very good war film classic for your war movie collection.
Rating: 
Summary: Welcome to the Meat Grinder
Review: These words are blasted out over loudspeakers by a communist propaganda agent at the American soldiers scaling Pork Chop Hill. This film has developed something of a cult following among war film buffs because of its almost non-stop action footage. The searing war drama begins with a night assault on a fortified hill occupied by the Chinese communist army. Veteran Hollywood director Lewis Milestone creates a sense of foreboding as the American soldiers assemble to board trucks that will carry them back to yet another critical sector of the front lines. In a larger context, the darkness evokes a sense of awareness among viewers that this is indeed a forgotten war that is not being fought with quite the same determination as World War II. Soldiers file past carrying bazookas, rifles and flamethrowers and the viewer sees them loading long bundles onto the trucks, which on closer inspection are revealed to be stretchers. They'll need them in this fight. Millstone paints his wartime canvas with drifting smoke across a cratered, rubble-strewn landscape from which all foliage has been shorn by near-continuous shelling by both sides. It's fallen upon Lt. Joe Clemons (Gregory Peck) to lead his 135-man company up the mountain to reinforce other units in an effort to drive the enemy from its positions on the crest. Although Peck's portrayal of Clemons is one-dimensional, the intriguing part of the film is following the orders the lieutenant issues to his subordinates during the course of battle. What's more, Clemons utters some truly memorable lines. When the Americans have to fix bayonets, Clemons says, "The Chinese love this eyeball-to-eyeball stuff."
Rating:
Summary: I am just like you...
Review: These words are spewed out of the loud speaker everytime the Chinese soldier comes on to speak propaganda to the G.I.'s. I have seen many many war movies, but this movie, without gore or color, has moved me the most. It was utterly horrifying the amount of people that died for a useless hill. And the propaganda had even me a little uneasy. This is literally one of the best movies I have seen in a long, long time.
Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable!
Review: This is a movie for people with brains....tough, gritty, makes one feel they are in the trenches with the soldiers...Peck underplays his role which makes the whole cast stand out as individuals...battle-scarred backgrounds and very human interaction....has scenes that stick in your head..one of the best!
Rating:
Summary: Still Sorting Out My Feelngs About This One
Review: This movie is one that I am glad to have seen, but I did not like it. Besides the fact that it was poorly done by modern technological standards, I feel that some things were inaccurate. The film made me angry. Because of this, I have not yet sorted out my feelings about the film completely, and therefore cannot produce a coherent paper as a review of it. This “review” will be more like a journey through my mind as I watched the movie.
The first thing I noticed was the Chinese broadcast over the loudspeaker to the GI’s. This was portrayed accurately, as described in The Last Parallel by Martin Russ. The film also gave a good view of the equipment used in Korea (trucks, helmets, grenades, guns, tripods, concertina wire, uniforms, radios, canteens, etc.). The film also showed the slight integration of the army at the time of this battle (1953). Mortar explosions were also accurate (hitting the ground and then detonating and kicking up the earth). The man on the loudspeaker also knew the name of the company and where they were, which was mentioned in The last Parallel.
I wonder if a 3-D topographical map of Pork Chop was available to the officers as was shown. It seemed a bit unrealistic. Also, the Lt., during the attack, said, “The men aren’t firing! Make them use their weapons!” This was interesting. Men fighting for their lives would have fired, you betcha! I guess that’s what you get in a film based on a book by S.L.A. Marshall. The Lt. Even tells one man, “You’ve got a rifle! Use it!” Soldiers were shown laying without firing and rarely had their guns in the “prone” position.
The men were portrayed as uneasy and highly disorganized. While there is probably some truth in this, it made me uneasy. I’m sure it could not have been as bad as it was portrayed, though I know times were desperate. Throughout the movie, there was never a cry for a medic. Was there no medic sent to the hill? I think not. Also, a runner forgot his message. Is that typical?
When the men in the trenches were hit by artillery, they were quick to think they were hit by friendly fire. This shows a bit of resentment that did not sit well with me. It was another element that added to the total confusion I felt throughout the film.
The film also showed a lot of pseudo-comedy. This was probably the case, as men were always trying to keep themselves in “high” spirits. Still, the men were portrayed as listening intently to the messages over the loudspeaker. According to Russ, the men either ignored the announcements, or just made fun of them.
The movie also showed the rear echelon as without a clue. Though this is mostly true, this movie showed the rear as ignorant as well as cruel. Does protocol really take precedence over life? Still, I felt like I could see things from the side of the rear and the side of the infantry. Mostly, though, I got the feeling that the audience was supposed to see that both sides were betraying the GI’s.
The thing that made me the angriest was the “peace negotiation.” The talks were heated, yes, but not nearly as desperate as the situation on Pork Chop. Why not send every available man up there to help? I mean, if it’s what you want, you have to really fight for it, and 25 men will not do the trick. I mean, while the “higher ups” are safe in the confines of heated buildings and in diplomacy forums, there are men being killed while fighting this war.
At the end the Lt. said, “Pork Chop Hill was hell.” This is the best description of the fighting on the hill and of the movie that I could ever hope to hear. The movie was not awful, but things about it made me mad. It’s not that I don’t like to get passionate about films; I just don’t want to get so mad I get a headache from the frustration!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: This was one of the first war movies to be realistic. It did not romanticize about war at all. Gregory Peck is superb as the salty war veteran who answers the question: "How much are you willing to give up for nothing." Well worth you time and money. An absolute classic. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: GOOD PERIOD PIECE
Review: Very intellegent treatment of would be forgotten period of Amrerican history. The budget prevented the film from being five stars, but may have saved it from telling a gritty story in too spectacular a way.
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