Coming out of an era when war films can be viewed without the fear of getting bored or nausea as offered by most of the present day blood and gore extravaganza (like the recent Black Hawk Down), The Young Lions is surprisingly dull. Very dull, actually.

Redemption can be found occasionally, thanks to the performance of its lead, Brando, Clift and Martin, which I would like to discuss here. I am familiar with Brando, definitely. Here, he delivers what one expects from a master like him. He plays a young Nazi with a conscience, something very rare during a period where Germans are always painted as bad guys, two dimensionally evil. I am not sure about the accuracy of Brando's German accent, but he is believable as a Nazi, capable of being a killing machine that they are usually perceived as, and at the same time, someone capable of being compassionate. There were protest during the release of this film; critics slamming Brando, calling him as one of those stars who refuse to play bad guys as bad guys and 'softening' them up instead. Maybe they are right. But Brando at that point could play any character he wants. He chose to play Christian Diestl (the young Nazi) because it appealed to him and with the skill he has, he could turn it more three dimensional. He did just that, and got blasted. Not his fault, mates.

Dean Martin plays mostly himself. Drinks in the hand, and a cigarette in his mouth, he affects that reluctant hero imagery, if not an extension of the persona he created for himself alongside his buddies which formed the Rat Pack.His character, Whiteacre, is a draft dodger, and admitted coward and the sub-plot involves him facing it. Like other sub-plots, it drags the film and only occasional great lines or wisecrack liven up the scenes. It was said that this was his first dramatic film, especially after the breakup of the famous partnership with Jerry Lewis. He certainly is an average actor and it was a good career move, though he never really became a household name in acting like another member of the Rat Pack, Frank Sinatra.

Now, I have come to Montgomery Clift. It might surprise some film buff if I were to tell them that this is the first film of his I am seeing. True. The sad thing is, this film is one of his last good ones. This was done after a horrible accident took place. What so horrible about it? It disfigured his face and it had to be reconstructed. It left the actor, who is seen as Brando's rival in terms of TALENT, a stiff expressionless face. OR that was what claimed by many saddened critics. I deny the fact that there was an emotion-less face. On the contrary, I saw a very animated figure. Since this is the only film of his that I had seen, it would be premature for me to call him a great actor. But with all that stiffness, he was good. He easily out-acts most of those who calls themselves as actors and prance on screen like a walking mannequin. Here is portrayal of Noah, a shy but brave Jew is on the dot.

It is sad that he had passed away so early (in 1966, still in his early forties), for I have a feeling that he is a much better talent that another star who died early, James Dean. I always felt that Dean's early death was the cause of his popularity, and otherwise he is a Brando imitator. But what I saw in Clift in this film is very original. He had to. He came before Brando and probably the earliest usherer of the Method style of acting. Brando and Clift had always been good friends and healthy competitors. In his autobiography, Brando mentioned his regret that he had not been able to help Clift who was having personal problems which led to substance abuse, which in turn probably caused the early death by heart attack. Clift passing was at the time when he was supposed to do Reflections on the Golden Eye for John Houston. It was taken over by Brando who delivered one of his best performances.

As I have already complained, the movie itself could be boring to those who are not interested in characters and only in explosions and death bodies. The reason is that there are so few of them. The war scenes are not that good, and appears only sporadically throughout the film which runs more than two and half hours. So, it is a good film for study on effect of war on certain characters and performance of its lead. That's about it. Those looking for good exciting old-fashioned war movie like The Longest Day can look elsewhere.

But I am glad that I have seen this movie. I wanted to see it as a Brando fan, and I have discovered Montgomery Clift instead. I will be looking forward to see more of his films in the future (of the past, he-he).