Battle Hymn (1957)

After a traumatic experience during WWII, a minister (Rock Hudson) struggles with his faith. When the war in Korea starts in 1950, he re-enlists but will his religious beliefs prove a barrier if called upon to kill the enemy? Based on the true story of Colonel Dean Hess who was a minister in his private life and directed by Douglas Sirk (ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS). Of all Sirk's films made at Universal during the 1950s, this is the most routine. Not that it's without interest at times but most often, the cliches and stereotypes take the foreground. The next year, Sirk would return to war as his subject matter and make one of the best war films of the decade with A TIME TO LOVE AND A TIME TO DIE. This one is undistinguished with its predictable characters. When one of the characters says, "I fear I shall never see my home again", you know they're going to be toast by the end of the film. During a moment of crisis, the film's lone black character (James Edwards) sings Swing Low Sweet Chariot. Yeah, it's that kind of movie. By the time the movie ends with The Battle Hymn Of The Republic blaring on the soundtrack, you've had more than enough. With Martha Hyer, Dan Duryea, Don DeFore, Anna Kashfi, Jock Mahoney and Carl Benton Reid.