Time Limit (1957)
Time Limit is a 1957 court room drama directed by actor Karl Malden, it would be his only directing credit. In his autobiography, Malden stated that “he preferred being a good actor to being a fairly good director.”
The picture revolved around Army Colonel William Edwards (Richard Widmark) who is investigating the case of Major Harry Cargill (Richard Basehart), accused of collaborating with the North Korean enemies while he and his unit were held captive in a Korean POW camp. Cargill willingly admits his guilt, and brings forth evidence that proves that he signed a germ-warfare confession, and broadcast anti-American speeches over Korean radio, seemingly an act of treason. In fact, it would be a simple open and shut case were it not for Cargill’s refusal to defend himself. Arousing further suspicion is the fact that his collaboration with the enemy immediately followed the death of two of his own soldiers, and the surviving members in the unit all recite an identical, rehearsed account of those deaths. Under enormous pressure to take his depositions and press for a swift court-martial, Edwards delves into the mystery, refusing to accept superficial explanations for the events in question until the truth is finally revealed by Lieutenant George Miller (Torn), it sheds light onto a completely new mark-up of Cargill’s behavior. wiki
Drama, Free Classic Movies, USA ONLY, War
I always felt Richard Widmark was an underrated actor. I really enjoyed this movie. Another great Widmark flick I’d like to see again is “The Bedford Incident,” which stars Widmark as the commander of a US destroyer playing cat-and-mouse with a Soviet submarine commander during the Cold War.