From my favorite movies..

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

I watched this in a colorized version (shudder, I know!), but I guess it's better than nothing!! This is yet another war-themed film for Aldrich but a novel one, dealing with a six-man bomb-disposal unit in Germany after the end of World War II.As such, it's much closer in spirit to the stark (and often hysterical) ATTACK! (1956) than the sweeping blockbusters - THE DIRTY DOZEN (1967) and TOO LATE THE HRO (1970; see review above) - of the next decade. Indeed, here, Jack Palance is again given a sympathetic role - while Jeff Chandler, uncharacteristically, essays the villainous type. Interestingly, the film was made by Britain's House of Horror - Hammer Films (in association with United Artists) - with shooting taking place at Germany's celebrated UFA studios! Plot-wise, however, the film is somewhat contrived: Palance and Chandler hate each other's guts but still lodge together and, of course, fall for their attractive - and lonely - French landlady (Martine Carol); by the end, only they have survived their dangerous line of work and the two face-off in a literally explosive climax! While no classic, it's professionally handled and has undeniable moments of power (one of the deaths is filmed in a way that we never see the man's face but, when the remaining members of the group are reconvened, we realize that Wesley Addy is missing; Chandler's story about his uncle teaching him to always look out for himself first and how the latter was the first to suffer for it).

Okay there 's only half-a-dozen in this movie and they are not dirty but there's a strong analogy between "ten seconds to hell" and the 1967 work: a group of men,going for broke ,bound to die one after the other. Jack Palance is impressive in a non-villain part,and his character displays tension,emotion and compassion.Jeff Chandler is also very effective .The defusing scenes have a near-documentary side which makes them very convincing .The main flaw is Martine Carol's part :her character did not seem to appeal to Aldrich and her scenes come at the most awkward moment.This is the umpteenth story of the French girl who loved (and married) a German and now is looked upon as a traitor to her country.This is a man's story which leaves no place for women as "whatever happened to Baby Jane" is an Aldrich woman's film where men have nothing to do with.

This might have been a good film, but it failed on more than one count. I have to compare it to the TV Series "Danger UXB", which, while it had much longer to develop its' story, was infinitely superior. The technical information in the TV series was much more interesting, and I kept wondering why the methods used in this film were so obviously poor, especially at the end of the war when all the methods, equipment and information should have been superior. In the finish, I came to the conclusion that this film, based on Lawrence P. Bachmann's novel "The Phoenix", used the bomb defusing merely as background, and that methods of bomb disposal were poorly understood by the writer, who probably didn't care anyway. In contrast, it is clear that someone who knew what he was talking about wrote the TV series. Although not credited in the listing here, I recall someone mentioned in the credits for the series (an Army officer) as a technical advisor, and it shows.We are left, therefore, with viewing this film as an essay on personal conflicts and relationships, and it fails badly on that count as well. The motivations of the characters are confusing and hard to believe and ultimately uninteresting. The cast are wasted in this, which is only worth watching if you are sick in bed and have nothing better to do.

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.