In the aftermath of the Korean War, the period in which this filmed play takes place, a lot of our soldiers "went over" to the communist enemy. Too many. It generated a great deal of interest in what was called brainwashing. Was it some mystical process that perverted our sense of what was good and bad? The academic psychologists were called in and they didn't find anything extraordinary. The prisoners were already in a one-down position and used to obeying authority figures. It wasn't the Inquisition. Reward and punishment were used but the punishment, while typically brutal, wasn't extravagant or particularly painful. One effective technique was simply tying the captive's hands behind his back so that someone else had to feed him or unfasten his trousers when he needed to use the bathroom. We ripped off at least one technique -- the good cop/ bad cop routine.

I don't know why I got into that, because we see nothing of it in the movie. It's just that the perceived number of converts was dismayingly high and was a matter of some concern at the time, as reflected in the movies -- "The Rack," "The Manchurian Candidate," and some others I forget. An Army major, Richard Basehart, is undergoing interrogation by an investigator, Richard Widmark, whose duty is to see if a Court Martial for treason should be recommended. There is plenty of evidence against Basehart -- signed confessions, recorded propaganda broadcasts, and the testimony of more than a dozen of his fellow POWs. On top of that, Basehart admits his guilt freely. But there are enough minor discrepancies and contradictions in the record that Widmark is hesitant to proceed with a trial until all the facts are in.

It was directed in a more or less pedestrian manner by Karl Malden. But he didn't have that much to work with. It's a weak play. Arguments and intrigue and command pressure add up without much in the way of increment until the final explosion of sobs and speeches wracked with guilt and self justification. Malden allows some over acting. Rip Torn in an important role isn't especially convincing as a guilt-ridden murderer. He could be splendid as a tobacco-chewing red-necked sheriff when he was a little older. Martin Balsam does his best -- which is pretty good -- in the stereotyped role of the impudent and outspoken Master Sergeant. The musical score is by Frank Steiner, who must have listened repeatedly to Bernard Herrmann's score for "Citizen Kane." Aside from the salaries for Widmark and some of the secondary leads, it must not have cost much to produce. There are few shots on location, but then that's the nature of plays.

In the 1950s, actor Khigh Dhiegh created a niche playing evil Chinese or North Koreans who were experts at psychological warfare and evil! While he was wonderful to watch and made a great recurring villain on "Hawaii Five-O" and made appearances in the original "Manchurian Candidate" (playing essentially the same sort of fun-loving guy),few would have realized that he had no Asian blood whatsoever! Despite his evil chubby Fu Manchu-like look, he was actually an American-born guy with North African roots! Despite this, I really, really loved watching him every chance I got--and I was excited to see him in a small part in "Time Limit". Quite simply, he was great at being bad!

This film is set just after the Korean War. A Major (Richard Widmark) has been assigned to defend a Colonel (Richard Basehart) who is being tried for aiding the enemy. It seems that while in a prisoner of war camp, Basehart was forced to make anti-American statements which were used as propaganda. Why would he do this--especially since he was a good officer?! Perhaps the evil Khigh Dhiegh found some way to brainwash Basehart. Unfortunately, they don't know because Basehart won't talk--and Widmark is having a devil of a time trying to defend a man who won't help himself. So, despite his client's wishes, he wants to dig deeper and interview a variety of people to get to the heart of it.

Overall, the film is very well-acted and the plot takes a very interesting turn near the end. Tune in to this one and see for yourself--it's worth seeing.

I found this to be a very gripping tale about a former POW soldier being accused of treason. Colonel Edwards (Richard Widmark) is assigned to research the case and make a recommendation for whether a court martial trial should be initiated. He interviews the other soldiers assigned to this man's POW camp, as well as the accused, Major Harry Cargill (Richard Basehart). Everyone at Col. Edwards office, including his boss, General Connors (Carl Reid),believes the man is guilty and they should expedite him to court martial proceedings. Except for Col. Edwards - he has a gut feeling that there is something more to this story. He especially is confused as to why the accused is unwilling to defend himself and wants only to accept responsibility and the corresponding punishment.

There are top notch performances here - but especially by Basehart as the accused. He is quite believable in the conflict that is going on inside him. Widmark also delivers well in portraying the Colonel who is willing to put his job on the line if it means getting to the truth. I also thought the flashback scene to the POW's that reveals what really happens was very well done. It is a grizzly scene that I think was directed well by Karl Malden and was well played by all the actors involved.

There are tough questions here as to the limits of POW's and whether or not the military code is applicable in all situations. I don't want to give the plot away. But the climax scene where all is revealed to the General and the Colonel by the accused in the Colonel's office is wonderfully acted by Basehart. He truly captures the agony that is war and what decisions soldiers are often faced with in the hell of POW camps.

I am very supportive of the military and the sacrifices made by the men and women in uniform. Major Cargill asks "for hundreds of days he was a hero, and only on 1 day he breaks...does he lose his standing in the human race because he broke on that 1 last day?" There are tough questions raised here and I don't know that there are any satisfying answers.