Time Limit (1957)

Military investigator Colonel Edwards is assigned a case involving Major Cargill, a Korean War POW who is accused of treason. Although Cargill admits his guilt and Edwards' superiors are ... See full summary »

Director:

Karl Malden

Writers:

Henry Denker (screenplay), Henry Denker (play),

Stars:

Richard Widmark, Richard Basehart, Dolores Michaels

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Widmark	...	Col. William Edwards
Richard Basehart	...	Maj. Harry Cargill
Dolores Michaels	...	Cpl. Jean Evans
June Lockhart	...	Mrs. Cargill
Carl Benton Reid	...	Lt. Gen. J. Connors
Martin Balsam	...	Sgt. Baker
Rip Torn	...	Lt. George Miller
Khigh Dhiegh	...	Col. Kim (as Kaie Deei)
Yale Wexler	...	Capt. Joe Connors
Alan Dexter	...	Mike
Manning Ross	...	Lt. Harvey
Joe Di Reda	...	Gus (as Joe Di Rida)
James Douglas	...	Steve
Kenneth Alton	...	Boxer
Jack Webster	...	Lt. Harper

Storyline

Military investigator Colonel Edwards is assigned a case involving Major Cargill, a Korean War POW who is accused of treason. Although Cargill admits his guilt and Edwards' superiors are impatiently pushing Edwards to move this case to court martial, Edwards becomes convinced of Cargill's innocence.

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Plot Keywords:

korean | general | colonel | major | korean war | 

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Korean

Release Date:

23 October 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wenn Männer zerbrechen

Filming Locations:

Governors Island, New York Harbor, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Heath Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Miller throws his punch, it clearly misses to the left even though the victim's head snaps back.

User Reviews

Engrossing Korean War Court-Martial Drama

Richard Widmark exudes concern and empathy as an army colonel investigating the circumstances behind a charge of treason. The film also contains effective performances by Richard Basehart, as the accused traitor, a major who shares a secret he is unwilling to reveal, and a young Rip Torn as a lieutenant who is also willing to keep the secret even though he knows it will lead to a miscarriage of justice. The film is based on a play, and Karl Malden, in his only directing assignment, tries hard to open it up, but most of the scenes take place in Widmark's office, and there are way too many point of view shots of one person talking while another listens. Malden does make effective use of a few flashbacks to a frigid P.O.W. barracks in North Korea, and there are some interesting shots of the military base at Governors Island in New York City, but the film suffers somewhat from staginess. Piercing, discordant, almost alarmingly loud music by Fred Steiner punctuates scenes in the P.O.W. camps, where a complex mixture of motives lead to actions that have devastating consequences.