Main Cast: Robert Mitchum, Ann Blyth, William Talman, Charles McGraw, Margaret Sheridan
Release Year: 1952
Country: US
Run Time: 105 minutes
MPAA Rating: NR
Plot
This Korean War drama is essentially a vehicle for RKO's top male star Robert Mitchum. He plays war-weary "Colonel Steve," obliged to contend with the North Korean forces while keeping troublesome UN official Linda Day (Ann Blyth) at arm's length. Some authentic Korean combat footage is well-integrated into the story. For all its talk about jet planes, Reds and atomic energy, the film is at base a redressed WW II drama. Good supporting performances are provided Charles McGraw as a tough sergeant and William Talman as a jet pilot. Reportedly budgeted at over two million dollars, One Minute to Zero had trouble making back its cost, despite the box-office pull of Robert Mitchum. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
One Minute To Zero is a rather dull war picture. Though far from a disaster, Minute simply doesn't have a lot of life in it and so will be rewarding viewing only for diehard fans of war flicks, Robert Mitchum or Ann Blyth. Minute does include some genuine documentary footage of the actual conflict in Korea, and that footage provides genuine attraction. It isn't very well integrated with the rest of the film; it's clear when one is watching real combat and when it watching the Hollywood version. But its presence is probably the most interesting thing about the film, aside from one plot point. Certainly, the screenplay is not interesting, being nothing more than one war movie cliché piled on top of another. The exceptional plot point is a crucial sequence in which Mitchum's character orders civilians to be gunned down, justifying this by showing that the civilians were in fact guerrillas in disguise. It's a disturbing scene, especially when seen today. Director Tay Garnett turns in terribly uninspired work, giving the impression that he had no involvement whatsoever in the material. Mitchum and Blyth add some star power, and their "Golden Moon" duet has some chemistry, but Mitchum doesn't seem to be half trying and Blyth is only effective in fits and starts. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Albert S. D'Agostino - Art Director, Jack Okey - Art Director, Michael Woulfe - Costume Designer, Tay Garnett - Director, Robert Belcher - Editor, Sherman Todd - Editor, Frank McWhorter - Editor, Victor Young - Composer (Music Score), Constantin Bakaleinikoff - Musical Direction/Supervision, Nobuyuki Takeoda - Songwriter, Norman Bennett - Songwriter, William Snyder - Cinematographer, Edmund Grainger - Producer, William Wister Haines - Screenwriter, Milton Krims - Screenwriter
