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

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

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

Irie212 Paul Newman gives perhaps his most powerful performance as Captain Hall. He is restrained, moving, and with just enough wit and comedy (those hiccups) to let us know that an honorable and decent man has survived inside that devastated soldier. He stands out in a truly sterling cast led by Wendell Corey, Edmund O'Brien, Walter Pidgeon, and, holding her own with admirable grace, Anne Francis.Most IMDb reviewers seem disappointed in the film's ending, either because it's sad or because it's ambiguous (it's both: the film ends after the guilty verdict but before sentencing). But I credit the ending with intelligence, complexity, and dignity. It was persuasively real and it delivers a moment of redemption all the more moving for being underplayed. After the guilty verdict, we learn that a key witness against him has forgiven Hall after hearing his testimony about the months of torture. I found the ending both satisfying and believable-- not only that a military court would have ruled against Hall given the army's code during the Korean War, but that Hall would find true redemption not in the verdict of army judges, but in the forgiveness from a comrade in arms-- especially a comrade who had also been imprisoned and tortured in that Korean prison.By the way, although it's essentially a courtroom drama, the scenes of soldiers coming home are strongly flavored, reminiscent of "The Best Years of our Lives", and praise for coming-home pictures doesn't get higher than that.

Michael_Elliott Rack, The (1956) *** (out of 4) Paul Newman, in his third film, plays Korean War vet who was a POW for three years. When he returns home he's brought up on treason charges and faces a court marshall. This film is based on a Rod Serling teleplay so the material makes for a good movie, although in the end I'm not sure what type of message it's sending out. The POW was tortured, not physically but mentally, and the film takes a look at this and what one's breaking point is. A lot of questions about loyalty to your country is brought up during the court scenes but some might be confused by what the ending tries to say or the complete turn around that seems to happen half way through the film. There's also the added plot of Newman's character not being able to connect with his hard boiled father (Walter Pidgeon) and connecting to his dead brother's girlfriend (Ann Francis). The film's screenplay has a lot of great sequences in it but it never really becomes clear on what it's trying to say. Is the film trying to claim that everyone has a breaking point? Is it trying to say that everyone should reach a breaking point but keep going for your country? The film seems to want to have its cake and eat it too as both sides are given credit yet neither takes the stage over the other. What works the best here are the performances with Newman stealing the film with his passionate character. The torture Newman displays is very striking and wonderfully done, which is rather amazing considering this was only his third film. Pidgeon has some equally impressive scenes as does Cloris Leachman. Lee Marvin, playing a tortured vet, also comes across very good in his few scenes. Wendell Corey and Edmond O'Brien are also very good. While the film's message might be someone confusing the film still works as a nice drama with plenty of good performances.

MartinHafer This was Paul Newman's third movie. His first, THE SILVER CHALICE, he later described as one of the worst movies ever made. His second, SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME was an excellent film and finally gave Newman some recognition, but some people must have thought that his success could have been a fluke--especially after his first film. However, his excellent and relatively restrained performance in THE RACK helped him be a genuine star.The film begins with Newman and other soldiers returning from North Korean prisons after the war. At first, his father the Colonel (Walter Pidgeon) is ecstatic to see his return, but this revelry comes to a halt when just a short time later Newman is up on charges at a court martial for being a collaborator. How much he assisted his captors, what they did to break him and what demons Newman was struggling with make this all a very interesting and unusual. So unusual, in fact, that you have to admire the producers and writer (Rod Serling) for taking a bit of a risk.The acting is exceptional as are the writing. About the only potentially disappointing aspect of the film is the ending. While I didn't mind how ambiguous it was, I am sure many will feel disappointed that the film seems to end prematurely. Still, it's an excellent film and well worth your time.

Nazi_Fighter_David Newman is an Army captain who returns to the U. S. after having been a POW for over two years in Korea, and is promptly charged with collaboration… Most of the film centers on his court-martial, which reveals that he did indeed cooperate with his captors after intensive psychological torture… Since he admits that he never reached the breaking point, he is found guilty, but the film suggests that society is responsible in not better preparing soldiers for the new methods of torture… From the moment he first appears in a wheelchair to be interviewed by a psychiatrist (evoking memories of Brando in "The Men"), through intense scenes with his father (Walter Pigeon), a cold, stern career officer, to the climactic confession, Newman projects the brooding, nervous, introverted quality of a man still in a state of emotional shock… Method mannerisms that Newman carries from film to film first appear here, and although sometimes overdone, they are generally effective: his glistening eyes, nervously moving lips and rapid blinking; his habits of rubbing his head, looking away from people and putting his hand over his mouth while speaking… All of these suggest a man burdened with guilt, withdrawn into his own world of shame and bitter memories… Newman is at his best during the trial, when he describes the prison camp horrors… Staring straight ahead, he recites his experience in a cool, deliberate manner, to prevent himself from breaking down… But he finally cries when recounting the fear of loneliness that led him to give in—a fear that was born, in his childhood, when his mother died and his father never had time for him… He cries out: "My father never kissed me!" Thus ultimately the film's focus is the alienation between child and parent, which places it in the tradition of many mid-fifties movies, including Dean's "Rebel Without a Cause" and "East of Eden." That theme would continue in Newman's films: from "Somebody Up There Likes Me," through "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and others, to "Hud," he plays men with serious problems in relating to a father or father-figure… In that context, "The Rack's" central scene, which follows the confession, has the father attempting a reconciliation… The two sit in a car, with Newman again staring straight ahead, maintaining the barrier between them… He stiffens as his father puts his arm around him, but finally gives in as the old man does kiss him… It's the film's most poignant moment—a personal victory for the soldier, who loses everywhere else