Movie Review: Ten Seconds to Hell (1959)
Synopsis: Following World War II, a group of six ex-German soldiers are given the task of defusing unexploded bombs around Berlin. The pay and rations are good but the odds of being killed are high, so the group makes a pact to place half their wages in a pool as an additional financial reward for anyone who survives three months. Tensions soon begin to grow as their team quickly shrinks from exploding bombs and other hazards.
Who's in it? The movie stars Jack Palance, Jeff Chandler, Martine Carol, Dave Willock and Robert Cornthwaite.
Review: As often happens, I was scrolling through my library for one movie this morning only to be reminded about another one and choose that instead. In this particular case it ended up being Ten Seconds to Hell. I didn't regret calling the audible.
I think the thing that impressed me most about this movie is the roller coaster of emotions it takes you on over the course of 94 minutes. There's action, suspense, drama and romance all set against the backdrop of a heavily damaged Berlin. Since the movie does a great job of making you care about the men doing such a dangerous job, it's also easy to understand how that roller coaster affects them as well.
One thing that stood out most for me were the scenes involving the bomb diffusing. They are surprisingly intense (helped by the actors selling the intensity) and kept me on the edge of my seat even when it was Eric (Palance) having his turn and I knew the movie wasn't going to kill off its star so easily. Adding to that was both the way the film showed other ways the men could die (such as being crushed by a damaged building) and the additional wrinkle of certain bombs having a second fuse that would potentially set off the explosion after they remove the first.
Another thing that I found I liked about the film was the budding romance between Eric and his widowed landlady, Margot (Carol). This was both because of the stress his dangerous task obviously would put on that relationship and because Eric's rival, Karl (Chandler) also had an interest in Margot. The latter, combined with the amount of money they stood to gain set up a possibility for a betrayal, especially since Karl made it clear he was looking out only for himself.
There was also a bit of a mystery about why Eric was so determined to stick with it, especially when the movie reveals he's an architect and could just as easily be using his talents to rebuild the city rather than risking his life. Ironically, the reason he gives for it is one of the few things I disliked about the movie because it seemed a little too "Hollywood."
Final Opinion: This is a great movie with a good mix of drama, suspense and great acting. Even if you don't normally like watching classic war movies, it's worth taking the time to watch.
My Grade: A
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Here are some reviews of other movies from 1959:
Movie Review: The Killer Shrews (1959)
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