Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Wordiezett So much average

GazerRise Fantastic!

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

sol1218 ***SPOILERS*** Shocking drama of what went on in the North Korean POW camps and how it turned men into mindless and obedient zombies in them being brainwashed by the North Koreans and their Red Chinese allies.The case in point in the movie is that of the almost brain-dead in him not caring about what he's facing Maj. William Cargill, Richard Basehart. The Major has been charged with high treason in cooperating with his North Korean captors back in 1951 when he was imprisoned by them as a POW. It was then that Maj. Cargill made false claims in both writing as well as broadcasts on Radio Pyongyang claiming that the US and UN were using germ bombs or bacteriological warfare against the helpless North Korean civilians as well as soldiers!With US Army Col. William Edwards, Richard Widmark, handing his case he gets no help from Maj. Cargill in him trying to defend himself even if convicted of his crimes he may well end up facing a firing squad. Knowing that something just isn't right with this puzzling case Col. Edwards digs deep down into what's behind Maj. Cargill's strange behavior by interviewing the men, his fellow POWS, who were in the North Korean POW camp with him. It's when Col. Edwards comes to interviewing Let. Miller, Rip Torn, that he strikes a nerve in what exactly is behind Maj. Cargill's noncooperation with him in not wanting any defense provided by him or the US Military. Something went on in that prison camp between both the captured US POWS and their North Korean captors headed by the smiling and sinister North Korean Col. Kim, Khigh Dhiegh, that went beyond anything in the mistreating of prisoner of war! Something so mind boggling and evil that it turned Maj. Cargill into something that he never would have dreamed of being! Even with a gun pointed to his skull! A traitor to his country!***SPOILERS*** Even though it's old hat now back then in the early 1950's brainwashing was something that most Americans never heard of or even contemplated. It was those brainwashing tactics, far more then torture, conducted by the North Koreans and Red Chinese on US and UN troops captured by them that drove men like Maj. Cargill to grudgingly cooperate with them. In Maj. Cargill case it was for the safety and lives of his men not his own that made him do it! And in the end it was that shocking revelation that had Col. Edwards who was to prosecute Maj. Cargill for treason to completely change him mind! Col. Edwards against the the advice of his superior Let. Gen. Connors, Carl Berton Reid, who's own son Capt. Joe Connors, Yale Wexler, was one of those in the prison camp along with Maj. Cargill, and who died there, decided to defend not prosecute Maj. Cargill even if it ends up costing him his career in the US Army!P.S The movie "Time Limit" was the only movie ever directed by actor Karl Malden who also had a cameo part in it as one of the POWS in the North Korean prison camp.

PudgyPandaMan I found this to be a very gripping tale about a former POW soldier being accused of treason. Colonel Edwards (Richard Widmark) is assigned to research the case and make a recommendation for whether a court martial trial should be initiated. He interviews the other soldiers assigned to this man's POW camp, as well as the accused, Major Harry Cargill (Richard Basehart). Everyone at Col. Edwards office, including his boss, General Connors (Carl Reid), believes the man is guilty and they should expedite him to court martial proceedings. Except for Col. Edwards - he has a gut feeling that there is something more to this story. He especially is confused as to why the accused is unwilling to defend himself and wants only to accept responsibility and the corresponding punishment.There are top notch performances here - but especially by Basehart as the accused. He is quite believable in the conflict that is going on inside him. Widmark also delivers well in portraying the Colonel who is willing to put his job on the line if it means getting to the truth. I also thought the flashback scene to the POW's that reveals what really happens was very well done. It is a grizzly scene that I think was directed well by Karl Malden and was well played by all the actors involved.There are tough questions here as to the limits of POW's and whether or not the military code is applicable in all situations. I don't want to give the plot away. But the climax scene where all is revealed to the General and the Colonel by the accused in the Colonel's office is wonderfully acted by Basehart. He truly captures the agony that is war and what decisions soldiers are often faced with in the hell of POW camps.I am very supportive of the military and the sacrifices made by the men and women in uniform. Major Cargill asks "for hundreds of days he was a hero, and only on 1 day he breaks...does he lose his standing in the human race because he broke on that 1 last day?" There are tough questions raised here and I don't know that there are any satisfying answers.

fimimix This gentleman has written my thoughts on "A Time Limit" exactly. I had a heck-of-a-time finding it in IMDb. I had to type-in "Richard Widmark movies" to find it. As the viewer stated, it is the only movie Carl Malden directed. It makes one wonder about the power-game in Hollywood and other places where movies are made. Yet, directing a movie must create a commsumate stress. The body of work Mr. Malden did as an actor speaks for itself, ditto for Widmark. His role in this film must have been a very important consideration for his role in "Judgment at Nuremberg".The war in Iraq has caused us to question "the code" for branches of the military. Who can speak for any member of them, or give reasons for their actions? Everything is different during wartime, especially if you are an officer who must take the responsibility for other men's lives. I always notice that highly commissioned officers who are interviewed on television are almost always "retired" - otherwise, they could not have taken the risk of breaking "the code". There are no personal, civil rights in the military - you are a part of a dictatorial branch of The Pentagon. I think "the code" creates inhumane situations.Another film on this subject includes "A Few Good Men", which graphically demonstrates the abuse by high-commissioned officers, whether it is blatant abuse of an officer's authority or to cover criminal offenses, as is demonstrated by the movie "......" does."A Time Limit" - apparently not seen by too many people except on TCM, where I saw it - exposes "the code" must treat even military-personnel as humans. Otherwise, there is no excuse for "the code"........all of the cast of this movie were excellent.

bkoganbing I have to take exception to other reviewers calling Time Limit, a courtroom drama. There are no scenes in any courtroom, military or civilian. Still it's a very engrossing story.Richard Widmark is acting as an investigative officer for the Judge Advocate General's Office trying to ascertain if there are enough facts to bring Richard Basehart to trial for treason. Basehart was a prisoner of war in Korea who is accused of collaborating with the enemy.Through a lot of patient probing of Basehart and others, Widmark arrives at a very ugly story that while it doesn't totally exonerate Basehart it does give him the basis for a defense. So much so that Widmark requests he be assigned as Basehart's attorney when he does come up for court martial.Time Limit ran for 127 performances on Broadway in 1956 and starred Arthur Kennedy and Richard Kiley in the roles Widmark and Basehart play. Widmark's good friend Karl Malden did this one time only job of directing and gets good performances from his cast.Time Limit asks a lot of disturbing questions about the behavior of prisoners of war and whether we expect too much from them. Ironically when the USS Pueblo was taken by the North Koreans in the late sixties, these same questions were asked for real.