In Love and War

A best-selling source novel, The Big War by Anton Myrer, provides the canvas for a selection of Fox's contract artistes to impress in at least one big scene each. Characters include a rich rebel (Dillman), a poor rebel (Wagner) and a tough but tender family man (Hunter). There's a dash of miscegenation, a moralising streak (promiscuous Wynter dies horribly) and some well-designed and choreographed combat scenes, the blood and madness mostly left out. There's no pop star on parade, but briefly fashionable comedian Mort Sahl is featured. As to which of these young lions will stop a bullet: the status of fatherhood, adding poignancy as it provides consolation, is mostly decisive in formula stuff like this.