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The quick thinking and good fighting of one man, Raymond Shaw, save a group of American soldiers fighting in Korea. He returns to the US and is awarded the Medal of Honor for his work. The other men in the platoon return to the US with swirling confused thoughts in their heads. They, including commanding officer Major Bennett Marco, are having dreams of being captured and brainwashed by the Koreans. They believe that the “heroic” mission actually never happened and there may be something bigger political conspiracy in the works with an election coming up. Can the difference between paranoia and truth be pieced together before it’s too late?

I’ll let you in on a little secret. They were captured and brainwashed. You’ll learn that very early on in the film. What makes the story so compelling and suspenseful isn’t the mystery of if it happened, but rather why it happened and how the whole thing will play out. George Axlerod’s adaptation of Richard Condon’s novel is very solid. We’re given the right information at the right time. We’re left in the dark as much as Marco, who’s investigating the ordeal. We’re treated to little surprises throughout to tease us until the big plot points are revealed.

One of the most interesting things about the film is that it continues to be suspenseful and intriguing even though the pace is relatively slow. There is no non-stop action. Events are absorbed, not merely stated. Director John Frankenheimer uses long shots with large pauses in dialogue frequently, letting the visuals speak for themselves. The audience becomes just as much of a detective as Marco. You can also attribute this to the editing of Ferris Webster, who does a remarkable job on this film. The brainwashing scene brilliantly cuts between what the soldiers believe is happening (an old lady giving a presentation about flowers) and what is really happening (the presenter showing off the conquest of the minds to various foreign representatives). It’s more menacing and chilling hearing the old lady tell Shaw to shoot his fellow soldier than if it was the doctor.

The acting is magnificent as well. Laurence Harvey as Shaw refuses to let us into his mind even when providing us with key background information. He forges a character that you want to like, but, because of his distance, can’t. Frank Sinatra as Marco is understated and thorough in his portrayal. He doesn’t go off the deep end questioning his dreams but rather deals with it all introspectively. Angela Lansbury plays Shaw’s mother who is domineering and intrusive. She is the true standout here. She’s ruthless and cold, but there’s still that underlying sense of misguided love. You can’t stand her, but you respect her capabilities. Her screen presence is one of the most disturbing yet fascinating performances I’ve seen.

The script is great. The directing is great. The editing is great. The acting is great. The music is a little obtrusive at beginning, but otherwise is appropriately haunting. The ending will leave you in disarray. In short, this is one of the best political thrillers out there.

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