Film Review: Hell Is for Heroes (1962)

Hollywood’s image of the Second World War as “the Good War” was created for wartime propaganda purposes and later maintained because the conflict could be interpreted as a simple struggle between Good and Evil, and its global nature provided countless backgrounds for exciting and attractive action‑adventure stories. However, there were plenty of war veterans in front of and behind Hollywood cameras for the war to always be shown in a simplistic fashion. As time went by, their experiences began to influence content, resulting in rather dark and depressive war films. One example can be found in Hell Is for Heroes, a 1962 film directed by Don Siegel.

The plot begins in 1944 in a small town in northeastern France, where a platoon of the US Army 95th Infantry Division is resting after weeks in combat, with men enthusiastically sharing rumours about the upcoming end of the war and their unit being brought back to the States. One of the new additions to the platoon is Private John Reese (played by Steve McQueen), a veteran who does not appear to share their enthusiasm—a loner who was demoted from the rank of sergeant following a court‑martial, but whose antisocial antics are tolerated by his old acquaintance Sergeant Pike (played by Fess Parker), because he is very good in combat. Soon news comes that the unit is going back to the front, and it takes up position near the German fortifications of the formidable Siegfried Line. Pike and the men soon realise that the American forces are stretched thin and that their platoon must hold a much larger part of the front than they are supposed to. Sergeant Jim Larkin (played by Harry Guardino) employs all kinds of tricks to make their force appear larger than it actually is and thus deter the Germans from attacking. When the Germans send a reconnaissance patrol, it becomes obvious that they will soon learn the truth. Reese decides to pre‑empt a German attack with a bold assault on their positions.

Hell Is for Heroes is a war film that looked rather unusual for its time, more in tune with the anti‑war sentiments caused by the carnage in Vietnam a few years later. It begins lightly and even features a French woman played by Michele Montau, introduced solely as a sort of eye candy and to prevent the film from being an all‑male affair. However, as the action turns to the front, the tone darkens and becomes increasingly grim with every scene. This includes scenes in which characters die in quite unpleasant ways and their sacrifice seems in vain, escalating into the unconventional and abrupt ending that some critics would be tempted to interpret as a depiction of the utter futility of war.

In reality, the ending was the result of an extremely troubled production. Hell Is for Heroes was authored by Robert Pirosh, a decorated WWII veteran famous for his Oscar‑awarded screenplay for the 1949 war classic Battleground. Pirosh originally produced and directed the film but in the end simply left the set, mainly because of constant clashes with the young and bull‑headed star Steve McQueen, whose prima donna‑like antics on set alienated not only him but other members of the cast. Pirosh’s friend Don Siegel, an experienced director of action and crime films, was brought in to take over, and he did a solid job under the circumstances. He, however, could not do much about the film’s low budget, which became quite apparent in the battle scenes and in many ways contributed to the film’s ending. Despite some fine ensemble cast performances and McQueen convincingly playing one of the darkest roles of his career, Hell Is for Heroes is something of a disappointment. Pirosh, however, used experiences from the set to create and help produce Combat!, the long‑running WWII‑themed television series renowned for its realism.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

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