Having seen Victor McLaglen in any number of support roles, particularly in John Ford's later Westerns with John Wayne, it was cool to see him here leading a group of lost men in the Mesopotamian Desert during World War I. I say 'cool' but it was anything but, as the searing heat of the vast desert expanse has a way of intruding on one's viewing pleasure.
The story sets up quickly as the unnamed lieutenant running the show is gunned down by an invisible Arab, and The Sergeant (McLaglen) steps up to the task of seeing his men to the safety of a larger brigade operating somewhere nearby, though that secret died with the commanding officer. What follows is the harrowing ordeal of the men in the Sarge's company summarily picked off by enemy fire or succumbing to madness resulting from fear, heat exhaustion and an unknown fate.
Other reviewers for the film here on IMDb find Boris Karloff's performance to be rather over the top and maniacal, however I thought he built on the persona of a religious zealot over the course of the story until he could no longer maintain his grip on reality. When he ventured out into the desert with the makeshift cross, it reminded me of John the Baptist heralding the arrival of Christ as Savior, a role Karloff's Sanders seemed to be emulating. I thought he did a fairly credible job.
But then there were the simply stupid actions some of the soldiers took in attempting to establish their position. For example Hale (Billy Bevan) climbing up the palm tree making himself a come and get me target. Or the pilot (Howard Wilson) who took no precaution getting off his plane in potentially hostile territory. Through it all, the Sergeant managed to maintain his authority through to the very end, eventually succumbing to the madness himself while gunning down five Arab enemies. While watching the picture, my biggest challenge was trying to understand how the enemy managed to stay invisible all that time in a terrain that had virtually no cover.
The story sets up quickly as the unnamed lieutenant running the show is gunned down by an invisible Arab, and The Sergeant (McLaglen) steps up to the task of seeing his men to the safety of a larger brigade operating somewhere nearby, though that secret died with the commanding officer. What follows is the harrowing ordeal of the men in the Sarge's company summarily picked off by enemy fire or succumbing to madness resulting from fear, heat exhaustion and an unknown fate.
Other reviewers for the film here on IMDb find Boris Karloff's performance to be rather over the top and maniacal, however I thought he built on the persona of a religious zealot over the course of the story until he could no longer maintain his grip on reality. When he ventured out into the desert with the makeshift cross, it reminded me of John the Baptist heralding the arrival of Christ as Savior, a role Karloff's Sanders seemed to be emulating. I thought he did a fairly credible job.
But then there were the simply stupid actions some of the soldiers took in attempting to establish their position. For example Hale (Billy Bevan) climbing up the palm tree making himself a come and get me target. Or the pilot (Howard Wilson) who took no precaution getting off his plane in potentially hostile territory. Through it all, the Sergeant managed to maintain his authority through to the very end, eventually succumbing to the madness himself while gunning down five Arab enemies. While watching the picture, my biggest challenge was trying to understand how the enemy managed to stay invisible all that time in a terrain that had virtually no cover.