Don't listen to the negative reviews

Absolutely Fantastic

Blistering performances.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It's May 1953, and fresh-faced US Army recruited Robert Redford (as Roy Loomis) has joined the battle for Korea. Women in the area greet the American private by saying, "Welcome to Korea, I hope you don't die" and "I love you." Mr. Redford soon notices strange behavior from fellow handsome private John Saxon (as Raymond Endore). A loner, Mr. Saxon nightly paints his face, stealthy makes his way into enemy territory, single-handedly kills an enemy soldier, and performs a ritual Indian dance over the body.Redford finds Saxon's behavior troubling, and tries to separate the increasingly disturbed man from his only friend, eight-year-old Tommy Matsuda (as Charlie). The orphaned Korean lad has formed a hero-worshiping relationship with Saxon, which Redford seeks to sever. There are things to admire about this inexpensively made anti-war drama, especially Saxon's characterization, but the film makes the old symbolic points rather ordinarily and the new ones haphazardly. Some character motivation is noticeably lacking.***** War Hunt (4/6/62) Denis Sanders ~ Robert Redford, John Saxon, Sydney Pollack, Tom Skerritt

This ultra low-budgeted and virtually unknown war/drama movie is probably the most interesting from an "acting" point-of-view. "War Hunt" remarkably – but I suppose coincidentally as well – features the big screen debuts of no less than three names that are nowadays considered hugely famous and acclaimed. Director Sydney Pollack (who sadly passed away earlier this year) and charismatic star Tom Skerritt both appear in small yet memorable roles, while Robert Redford (later star of classics such as "The Sting" and "All The President's Men") debuts in the fairly complex leading role of idealistic soldier in the center of a senseless Korean war zone. And yet, in spite of the more appealing great names, it's unquestionably the still underrated veteran actor John Saxon who steals the show. Even more so, Saxon owns the film and he's genuinely petrifying as the introvert soldier who appears to use the Korean War to give rein to his murderous and psychotic tendencies. When the young and inexperienced private Loomis arrives at the front during the last stage of the Korean War, his fellow soldiers immediately warn him to stay out of the way of Private Endore and his protégé Charlie; a local orphan kid. Endore is a brilliant soldier and of immeasurably value to the American army, but that is mainly because he single-handedly decreases the number of Korean soldiers by deliberately sneaking behind enemy lines at night. Private Loomis protests against this, especially because he wants to protect the young Charlie from his dangerous colleague. The rudimentary plot of "War Hunt" is actually pretty genius, since it's the first and only film – at least, as far as I know – that openly suggests signing up for the army is the ideal method for psychopathic killers to get away with their incontrollable urges and even get honored for them! Private Endore is anti-social, impolite and without manners but his superiors never cease to cover from him because he's such a powerful weapon against the enemy. The atmosphere of "War Hunt" is aptly depressing and dark, with some really brilliant musical choices and bleak photography. Presumably due to the absence of financial means, there's a severe shortage of action scenes and hence you'll have to struggle yourself through a handful of seemingly dull and redundant moments. Still, if it's not necessarily boisterous gunfire and violent battles in the trenches you're searching for, I would definitely recommend "War Hunt", if it were only for John Saxon's stupendous performance. His menacingly painted faced, the desolate star in his eyes and his completely unpredictable and impulsive personality make this one of the greatest performances I've ever seen in a low-keyed war epic.

**SPOILERS** With the war in Korea winding down everyone in this front-line combat platoon are looking forward to go home alive and in one piece before the final shot is fired. Everyone with the exception of Pvt. Raymond Endore, John Saxon.Endore is of the type of material that soldiers are made of. Tough ruthless and totally unfeeling, to himself or the enemy, when he's out on patrol knifing and strangling Communist Chinese and North Koreas soldiers on guard duty or in their sleep. Endore is now in danger of becoming an endangered species with the war, that he loves so much, about to end and him becoming obsolete.The movie "War Hunt" shows how those who participate in combat, Like Pvt. Endore, become so dehumanized by it to the point where they can never go back to society again. Endore had befriended this Korean, North Korean to be exact, orphan Charlie (Tommy Matsud) who not only looks up to him as a father figure but as a God. It's when Pvt. Loomis, Robert Redford, is assigned to Endore's squad that he starts to really lose it. Loomis wants little Charlie to grow up in an orphanage with little boys and girls like himself as friends to play and get along with instead of becoming an unfeeling killer like his hero Pvt. Endore.Despite it's shoe string budget "War Hunt" has a number of very convincing and terrifying battle scenes in it that you would have expected in a first run major Hollywood studio release. There's an nail biting Communist Chinese human wave night attack on the US, or UN, lines that has Pvt. Loomis freeze in his tracks almost ending up run through, with a bayonet, by one of the onrushing Red Chinese troopers. Endore uses Loomis', what he thinks, cowardice under fire to turn Charlie against him. Loomis in his first taste of hand to hand combat did in fact freeze up but later courageously made it back to his battered platoon after killing, in a brutal hand to hand confrontation, a Red Chinese soldier who tried to cut his throat.With the cease fire that was to end the Korean War just hours away Pvt. Endore desperate to keep the war from stopping goes out on his own, taking Charlie along with him, to somehow relight the fuse. Crossing into no-mans land Endore tries restart the fighting by creating an incident in killing a Communist Chinese or North Korean soldier after the cease fire went into effect. It's then when Pvt. Endore buddies, who liked him so much when the war was going on, turned against him.Obscure little war drama despite it's, in years to come, well known cast of Robert Redford Tom Skerritt and of course John Saxon "War Hunt" ranks right up there as one of the best, as well as least known, anti-war films ever to come out of Hollywood. The movie doesn't at all glorify war it in fact shows how it can turn normal men into blood-thirsty and mindless killers. Pvt. Endore got to like war, and the killing that goes along with it, so much that he even tried to get little Charlie addicted to it.In the end getting shot and killed, by his own men, may have well been the best thing that happened to Pvt. Endore. I can just imagine what he would have done when he came back to the states. With the only thing, and pleasure, to look forward to being him going out at night and kill like he did in the many "war hunts" that he participated in back in Korea Endore more then likely would have resumed his murderous obsession. This time not against enemy soldiers but innocent, and unsuspecting, civilian non-combatants.

Director Denis Sanders isn't a very well-known or acknowledged filmmaker. After seeing "War Hunt", I looked up his filmography, hoping to credit him to another, more mainstream film – one does not exist. Fortunately, a man does not have to be well known or have a huge fan base to be a good director. "War Hunt" is one of the best low-budget sleepers in the video store, now available on DVD from MGM.Running less than 90 minutes, "War Hunt" tells a powerful story about the toll of warfare on those who fight it. Idealism, patriotism and notions of heroism are forgotten in the midst of battle. Instead of making men into saints, war usually turns them into demons. Pvt. Loomis (an impossibly young Robert Redford) arrives in Korea during the last few weeks of the war. He meets Raymond Endore (John Saxon, "The Cavern"), an unhinged draftee who thrives on night patrols, during which he kills North Korean soldiers in their sleep. Endore has taken Charlie (Tommy Matsuda), a Korean orphan, into his care and Loomis also befriends the boy, hoping to wrest him away from Endore's dangerous influence.Much like "Hell is for Heroes" which premiered the same year, "War Hunt" was shot on a shoestring budget in the Midwestern United States. From start to finish, it's obvious that the military did not back the production. After all, this is a very anti-military movie. There are only a few extras on-hand and we only see a few trucks. The lack of financing really shows through in the climactic scene in which hordes of Chinese troops attack the entrenched Americans; most of the explosions and reactions to them look utterly false and stagy.Thankfully, this is not a picture about action and the glory of war – it's about the aftermath of such scenes. The fighting serves to push the conflict forward in the quiet moments of rest and recuperation when the bullets are done flying. In fact, in the film's third act, set during the cease-fire with the Chinese, the most devastating violence occurs. Endore sets off with Charlie to live in the mountains after the war's end, refusing to admit that he is part of the Army and must return home. The final conclusion between Endore and Captain Pratt (Charles Aidman) is quick, gritty and comes to an unexpected, powerful conclusion.Sanders' ensemble cast is superb in every way. Redford, in his film debut, is actually quite memorable as Loomis. The first time we meet Loomis, we already know what to expect: we've seen this type of clean-cut, fair-haired boy before. He'll go on to undergo a baptism of fire and become the hero of the piece. Not so, here. Loomis arrives in Korea with ideals and patriotism; much like Charlie Sheen's Chris Taylor in "Platoon", he comes to realize that there are only two kinds of men in warfare: those who crack under its pressures, like Endore, and those who just want to survive, like his new found friends Crotty (Gavin MacLeod) and Showalter (Tom Skerritt). His scenes between Charlie are tender, poignant and moving. His encounters with Endore are chilling and unconventionally solved. As Endore, John Saxon brings a new meaning to the word psychopath. We've never met a wacko like him before. His mannerisms, dialog, expressions, are all played with utter randomness. It's as if he was handed the role and told "do what you want with it". There are times when Endore is almost completely human, but something in his eyes tells us that perhaps there is something slightly wrong with this guy. As the nature of his character is gradually revealed, we can't help but become shocked, almost frightened."War Hunt" is a cliché-free, freshly original and involving drama. It makes a strong statement about war's general destructive nature. This is a movie about survival and flawed idealism, not heroism and courage. Kudos to the director for choosing to pick such a controversial subject. The film is almost prophetic in that it approaches the Korean War with an attitude that would come across with force and power in Vietnam films 25 years later, like "Hamburger Hill" and "Platoon".