The Hill

A prisoner (Sean Connery) struggles with a sadistic guard and a hard-nosed RSM in a North African British military prison during World War II.

The Hill is a solid drama that never quite escapes its stage origins.

From the opening frames, director Sidney Lumet does a great job of establishing atmosphere. Oswald Morris’ crisp black and white photography paints a sharp picture, and you can almost feel the heat emanating from the screen while the titular hill, ever-present, looms ominously over the action.

The performers are uniformly excellent. Sean Connery proves he can handle tough, gritty drama, Harry Andrews is a force of nature as a steel-jawed officer, and Ossie Davis imbues his role with a gentle humanity that almost steals the film.

The problem is that the screenplay by Ray Rigby, from his play with R.S. Allen, is too talky. Despite the great location atmosphere, The Hill still feels like a filmed play, and never really takes advantage of the intimacy afforded by the camera. This isn’t a deal-breaker, but it does keep a good film from being a great one.