July 18 movie: The Hill. Incredible drama directed by Sidney Lumet about a British military prison somewhere in the Middle East. Note this is not a prisoner of war camp; it's a military prison, for soldiers convicted of crimes. It's a brutal place where guards are free to do whatever they like to the prisoners, out of sadism, a misguided attempt to build character, or any reason at all. No one cares what happens to the prisoners, as long as no embarrassment is caused to the people in charge.
The titular hill is an artificial mound built of sand and rock in the middle of the camp, which prisoners are forced to run up and down in the blazing midday sun. The movie follows five new inmates at the prison and the guards' attempts to break them down. Sean Connery is great as the star, but I have to save the highest praise for Ossie Davis. He plays another inmate, and when his character is finally pushed too far, Davis steals the movie and never lets it go. His performance is electrifying. There's also very good work by Harry Andrews, Ian Bannen, Alfred Lynch, Roy Kinnear, Michael Redgrave and Ian Hendry. Everyone in the movie is great.
I read that the writer based the script on his actual experiences in a British military prison. That makes me feel a bit ill. (Really, not figuratively, it makes my stomach hurt to know this was based on reality.) It's a claustrophobic movie, not easy to watch but well worth it. Masterfully filmed to intensify the tension and make you feel like you're standing in 115° heat yourself. I have only one criticism: the volume ranges wildly from quiet speeched to VERY LOUD YELLING. More of the latter, though it shifts back and forth enough that I was constantly turning the volume up and down.
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