Man in the Middle

Man in the Middle is a stirring war drama based on the real-life court-martial of US General Billy Mitchell. Released in 1964, and directed by Guy Hamilton, the film stars the indomitable Robert Mitchum as the lead character, Lt. Col. Barney Adams.

Adams is an army lawyer stationed in Burma during World War II, where the allied forces are locked in a gruesome conflict with the Japanese. To the horror of his superiors, Adams's life takes a compelling turn when he's assigned his most challenging case—to defend Kevin Regan (played by Keenan Wynn), an American soldier accused of murdering a British officer.

Regan, portrayed convincingly by Wynn, is a massively complex character. He's a seasoned soldier increasingly disillusioned by the war, pushed to a breaking point by omnipresent death, destruction, and mind-boggling arbitrariness. When charged with murder, Regan asserts that he killed in self-defense. Announced as temporarily insane due to the war's amorality, he openly defies military order and leaves it to Adams to untwist the complicated knot of his defenses.

Robert Mitchum's portrayal of Adams brilliantly captures the dilemma of a man torn between his duty, his personal convictions and moral complexities, and the internal politics of a war-ravaged military establishment. Adams is no reluctant hero; he's aware of his responsibility to bring justice to a man vastly affected by the war's trauma, while dealing with the pressure from higher-ups wanting a quick and quiet resolution.

Interwoven into this compelling narrative is the character of Lt. Katherine Lawson, a military nurse portrayed by the talented France Nuyen. Lawson serves as Adams's romantic interest in the film, providing the much-needed emotional relief in the story and offering another layer to Adams's character.

Barry Sullivan plays the role of Major Burton, Adams's superior officer. His character is torn between his role as a military officer looking out for the best interest of the institution and a friend, who genuinely sympathizes with Adams's predicament. Sullivan delivers a robust performance, beautifully showcasing Burton's navigation between his loyalty to his friend and his responsibilities as a superior officer.

The rich black-and-white cinematography of Man in the Middle provides a sturdy backdrop to the film, reflecting the somber setting of a military base in a remote outpost in Burma during World War II. Choosing to shoot the film in this style adds a timeless quality to the storytelling.

It's worth noting that the film does an excellent job of balancing the gravity of legal proceedings with the chaos and idiosyncrasies of war, underlining the profound strain facing those caught in the crossfire of duty and principles.

While indeed a war drama, the film is also a beautifully woven legal drama with compelling courtroom sequences, loaded dialogues, and innate suspense as Adams painstakingly builds his defense. This is an emotionally charged court martial drama, less about the strategy of war and more about the human collateral damage and calls into question the sanity of war itself.

Man in the Middle is a film that juxtaposes the horrors of war with the complexities of justice. It highlights not just the physical toll that war takes on soldiers, but also digs into the psychological and emotional ramifications, making it a uniquely prescient film even for today's audiences.

This film will appeal to fans of war dramas, legal dramas, courthouses, and portrayals of military life. If you owe your allegiance to any one or all of these genres, Man in the Middle is a testament to the quality of movies from the mid-1960s and the remarkable prowess of its lead actor, Robert Mitchum. This riveting tale of honor, duty, and justice, as told through a man caught between two powerful, contradictory forces, will keep you engrossed from start to finish.