Ten Seconds to Hell (1959)

The Worst Film Ever

Excellent but underrated film

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Good picture and efficiently made by Robert Aldrich in which a bunch of two-fisted characters confront deadly on a survival game during post-WWII . An intense portrayal of elite soldiers who have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world : disarming bombs in the heat of Berlin . It depicts a microcosm of a highly trained bomb disposal team amidst a violent aftermath . At the end of the Second World War six German ex-soldiers return to Berlin and set up as a bomb disposal group to carry out their dangerous assignments and a subsequent bet . They are led by Karl Wirtz (Jeff Chandler in a strange villain character) , a selfish renegade for who the thrill of the dismantlement seems to be the ultimate goal regardless of the safety of his fellow team members ; Karl's true role reveals itself in a way that will change each man forever . And Eric Koertner (Jack Palance) who knows his place and duty and trusts others in the army to carry out theirs as well as he . They are constantly worried that an error or misjudgment on his part will lead to the death of an innocent civilian or a military colleague . As the tough and valiant men struggle to control their destinations . They feel strongly enough about something not to be concerned with the prevailing odds, but to struggle against those odds . They , then , agree a wager : If a man dies in the course of the job , his share is to be divided among the others and if only one survives he takes it all . As two tons of buried bomb and now two men must pit their lives against its treacherous fuse , two artificiers who had only one thing in common , the same woman (Martine Carol) .This is an exciting blockbuster about to explode dealing with German demolition workers after WWWII , in which there are thrills , intrigue , suspense , sometimes stirring scenes and a loving triangle between Chandler/Martine Carol/Palance . A full-tilt intriguing picture in which director Aldrich turns the discipline of action filmmaking into a kind of visceral visual poetry . Thus , this motion picture serves as not only a look into an important aspect of German history , showing an interesting studio of engaging characters , too . While the members face their own internal issues , they have to make safe the place and to be aware of any person at the bomb sites . This is a flick where role development plays second fiddle to inbuilt intrigue as well as emotion ; concerning a similar plot to subsequently Oscarized ¨The hurt lock¨ (2008) by Kathryn Bigelow , in which some armorers to defuse bombs , make safe location and people ; however some of who may be bombers themselves . It was realized by the British Hammer-Seven Arts Company presided by Michael Carreras , made by American Aldrich and being filmed on location in a destroyed Berlin and with Brits , French , German and American players in the cast . It stars by Jeff Chandler and Jack Palance as bomb disposal experts , both of whom give excellent performances . As Jeff Chandler slowly reveals the strength , confidence , unpredictability and finally badness of his role . Jack Palance enjoys himself throughly in a rare character . This motion picture of mixed origins was well directed , here Robert Aldrich gave a tense and brilliant direction . However , director Aldrich had his name taken off the credits as Producer because the studio cut a half-hour out of the picture without telling him , and he believed that unless they put that footage back in , the film made no sense . Aldrich began writing and directing for TV series in the early 1950s , and made his first feature in 1953 (Big Leaguer , 1953) . Soon thereafter he established his own production company and produced most of his own films , collaborating in the writing of many of them . Directed in a considerable plethora of genres but almost all of his films contained a subversive undertone . Robert shot various different actors in Oscar-nominated performances : Victor Buono , Bette Davis , Agnes Moorehead , Ian Bannen , Jack Palance and John Cassavetes . Two of Aldrich's movies : Veracruz (1954) and Deadly kiss (1955) are now considered to be among the most influential films of the 1950s . He was an expert on warlike genre (Dirty Dozen , The Angry Hills , Attack , Ten seconds to hell) and Western (The Frisko kid , Ulzana's raid , Apache , Veracruz , The last sunset) . Rating : Above average , it's a must see and a standout in its genre .

To put this in context, I saw this in an outdoor theater at the Marine base at Camp Pendelton, California in 1959. I can't tell you how many movies I have seen in my life time, and how very few I remember. This is the movie that came to my mind when I read of Jack Palance's death. It was a guy film all the way, I mean Jeff Chandler and Jack Palance in the same flick? Too much. After nearly 50 years, I still remember so well how the film had me sitting on the edge of my seat. The suspense related to "will this bomb go off and kill the guy" was tremendous. Remember that in it's original form the film was black and white. I can still remember the details of the defusing of the bombs, and how sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. A fine movie in it's time.

I found this film on the shelf at the local video store in a nondescript white box which listed only the title, the two leads, and only mentioned that it was a Hammer film. I had no idea what it was about. But I was curious about a Hammer film that starred Jack Palance and Jeff Chandler, so I decided to rent it. I did not regret it. I at first thought it would be a British crime thriller. Little did I expect it to be a post WW2 drama about a group of former German soldiers in charge of a bomb disposal unit. I won't go any further into the plot since the previous reviewer says most of whats important to know. The first half of this film is a bit slow, but then picks up speed and becomes really interesting. It was also interesting to see a reversal in roles for the two leads; Jack Palance who usually played villains, plays the hero here, while Jeff Chandler, who usually played heroes,plays the heavy in this one. The one thing that intrigues me about this film, is how an American director, a mostly American cast, ended up making a film produced by a British film company with a British crew, shot on locations in Berlin, with interiors shot at Berlins UFA studios.

Six nonconformed former German soldiers work for the British occupation forces on defusing blind shells in Berlin. The men, of very different characters, make a bet, that those who stay alive should get half of all their pays. Indeed one after another of them perishs. So it comes to the showdown between Koertner (Jack Palance) and Wirtz (Jeff Chandler), who also compete for the affection of their host Margot (Martine Carol).This exciting adventure movie is staged carefully by past master Robert Aldrich. He shows in fascinating details bomb deactivation and the atmosphere of Berlin lying in ruins - a striking metaphor for the devastated lifes of the characters! Chandler and Palance are believable in their roles. Psychological it impress through the description of the fatefully scratched squad, whose members are not able to get out of this suicidal job.In short: A depressing but exciting look on World War II survivors, who battle for the reorganization of their lifes.