Ski Troop Attack (1960)

Director: Roger Corman

Writer: Charles B. Griffith

Composer: Fred Katz

Starring: Michael Forest, Frank Wolf, Wally Campo, Richard Sinatra, James Hoffman, Chan Biggs, Tom Staley, David Mackie, Skeeter Bayer, Wayne Lasher, Sheila Noonan, Roger Corman, Paul Rapp

More info: IDMb

Tagline: They Turned a White Hell Red with Enemy Blood!

Plot: An American patrol has to cross behind enemy lines by skis in order to blow up an important railroad bridge. The task is made harder by conflicts between the platoon's veteran sergeant and its inexperienced lieutenant and by constant attacks by pursuing German troops.

My rating: 4/10

Will I watch it again?  Nope.

On one hand I admire Corman for doing a lot with such a small budget.  This one must've been super cheap.  There's a surprising bit of action for a picture with such a small cast.  The snowy mountains makes the B&W photography even more black and white.  Corman makes use of stock WWII footage which is more than obvious from the quality of film stock.  Part of the problem is the limited amount of plot and action the characters are stuck with.  I normally dig Fred Katz's jazzy scores but here there's too much music (I'm sure he just wrote some cues and let Corman go to town) and it often doesn't fit the scenes.  Being only 62 minutes long is a blessing and a curse.  It's still too long.  A half hour in I was bored and I couldn't help but think how awesome it would be if our boys took out the Jerrys and a Yeti showed up to fuck their shit up.  THAT would be neat. It's odd seeing Frank Wolff look complete different as he did a few years later in THE GREAT SILENCE (1968).   If you're familiar with Corman's hit and miss record then you know how dull they can be when they miss. Add this one to the list.  The Alpha DVD has the film in fullscreen with zero extras as per usual with this budget label.