This film is a 1959 WWII drama that focuses on members of a German bomb squad. The fatalistic soldiers pool part of their paychecks into a fund that the last surviving member of the squad will get to keep. One by one, the men meet their deaths until only two remain: Karl Wirtz (
Jeff Chandler) and Eric Koertner (
Jack Palance). The two men vie for the affections of Margot Hofer (
Martine Carol), which adds to the growing tension between them. In the film's climax, Wirtz and Koertner are summoned to dismantle a huge bomb, which adds tension to an already stressful situation between the two of them. Director
Robert Aldrich pays meticulous attention to the details of bomb deactivation. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide