Shell Shock

Shell Shock (1963)

Genres - Drama, War  |   Sub-Genres - Psychological Drama, War Drama  |   Release Date - Feb 1, 1964 (USA - Unknown), Feb 1, 1964 (USA)  |   Run Time - 84 min.  |   Countries - United States  |   MPAA Rating - NR
  • AllMovie Rating
    5
  • User Ratings (0)
  • Your Rating

Share on

Synopsis by Mark Deming

An emotionally scarred man is thrown into the heat of battle in this low-budget war drama set during World War II. Gil (Frank Leo) and Johnny (Carl Crow) are childhood friends who were raised together in an orphanage and have been as close as brothers ever since. Gil arranges to be sent to Italy to serve in the same outfit as Johnny, but while the two are happy to see one another, Gil can see that the rigors of battle have taken a toll on his buddy. Sgt. Rance (Beach Dickerson) is convinced Johnny is a coward who's faking his anxieties so he'll be shipped out of the danger zone. When Johnny snaps into a near catatonic state during a skirmish, Rance is still certain he's pulling a fast one no matter what the medical staff says, and after Johnny is confined to his tent for rest, Rance sends him back out against orders and his buddies are forced to go behind enemy lines to find him.

Characteristics

Keywords

battle-fatigue, war, against-all-odds, chase, escape, jealousy, mental-illness, mistaken-identity, refugee, rescue, romance, scheme, soldier, territory