Stark war drama

There are a few missteps - Larry Adler's jaunty harmonica score is totally wrong for the film, and director Joseph Losey doesn't entirely succeed in making us forget this was originally a play - but generally this is a sobering and absorbing examination of war guilt, bolstered by some very strong performances. During WW1, Dirk Bogarde is the officer assigned to defend young private Tom Courtenay who's facing the firing squad after deserting the front line. The film's points about shellshock translate tellingly into the modern day phenomenon of Gulf War Syndrome. Similar to - but nowhere near as good as - Stanley Kubrick's 'Paths of Glory'.