Review of Pork Chop Hill

Introduction

Not to be confused with that other meaty sounding war film, Hamburger Hill, Pork Chop Hill was probably the bloodiest battle in the Korean War where the Americans had to take the hill away from the Chinese, anything to gain more bargaining power over the Communists.

Politicians, thousands of miles away in nice comfy chairs, made decisions that affected the lives of the soldiers on the front line. Seems to me as though pride and ego was at stake with neither side willing to budge, so we get a first hand account of the needless waste of human life. If you want an example of just how pointless these turf battles really are then you`re in for a treat.

Video

Presented with a 1.66:1 widescreen letterbox black & white transfer, Pork Chop Hill looks very good. Detail is high, blacks and all grey shades are well balanced with no visual problems detected in the transfer bar some dirt and a little wear & tear.

Audio

Presented with a Dolby Digital 2.0 English soundtrack Pork Chop Hill sounds okay. The sound throughout, including dialogue, is clear from the front.

Features

Static menus with a solitary extra:

• Original Theatrical Trailer (2:45) - Presented by Gregory Peck as himself talking about the battle of Pork Chop Hill.

Pork Chop Hill has English subtitles and the usual array of other European languages too.

Conclusion

Another example of the futility of war, Pork Chop Hill has a good balance of humour and action. Gregory Peck`s central performance is good and you at least get the sense that he cares about the casualties as they stack up. His company of soldiers started around 135-men and dwindled to about 30 in trying to hold the hill. It seemed like a fruitless mission whilst in the face of the Chinese propaganda being bleated on the PA. The soldiers were knackered and demoralised, and were unwilling to fight anymore but they seemed to strive forward with their sense of humour intact.

The pace of the film is even tempered and is never too slow; there`s plenty of action onscreen to keep you from getting bored. However it`s relentless and can be exhausting to follow at times with a very good depiction of realism. The story itself is interesting and while the film is good to watch the first time around, I can`t see myself seeing this film again. If there`s a war film missing from your repertoire you could do worse than plug it with this.