Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Hell Is for Heroes Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 11, 2023

Don Siegel's "Hell is for Heroes" (1962) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by critics Steve Mitchell and Steven Jay Rubin and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. Region-A "locked".

Screenwriter Robert Pirosh, a war veteran, was supposed to direct Hell is for Heroes, but because of ongoing clashes with Steve McQueen, he was replaced by Don Siegel. However, once Siegel began shooting, McQueen had numerous public disagreements with him as well. In the ensuing drama, Pirosh’s screenplay, which was inspired by a true story in which Pirosh was a participant, underwent significant changes and Hell is for Heroes turned out a pretty different film.

The other very interesting detail from the production of Hell is for Heroes pertains to the management of the original story. Apparently, Pirosh’s retelling of this story featured different characterizations. When Siegel began shooting, many of these characterizations evolved, and then McQueen did plenty of things that were not in Pirosh’s screenplay either. This makes it quite difficult to tell how much of the original story that Pirosh wanted to tell was retained. Pirosh’s name remained in the official credits of Hell is for Heroes, but it seems fair to speculate that in its current form this film is easier to profile as a Siegel/McQueen project.

The events that are depicted in Hell is For Heroes take place in a rest area near the Siegfried Line in Montigny, France, in 1944. A motley crew of exhausted U.S. soldiers prepare to go home but instead learn that they must provide support in a nearby battle zone of strategic importance. Shortly after an outsider named Reeves (McQueen) who has been demoted for his drunken antics joins them, the soldiers head to their destination. Upon arrival there, the soldiers are ordered to defend the battle zone until reinforcements arrive, but this seems like a suicide mission because they are greatly outnumbered by the Germans.

It is easy to tell that the budget that was handed to Siegel to make Hell is for Heroes was not big because the scope of the battle footage is quite modest. (In comparison, Jesse Hibbs’ To Hell and Back looks like a monumental project that was shot with an astronomical budget). But this is why the brilliance of the Siegel touch becomes even easier to recognize and appreciate. Indeed, the blending of unfiltered personal drama and gritty action produces an environment in which the soldiers’ transformation into heroes -- and occasionally back into ordinary men -- becomes incredibly realistic. Siegel was a master of this most effective humanization of the characters that populated his films and the lack of spectacular battle footage provides him with all the opportunities he needed to get it right yet again.

But there is one character in Hell is for Heroes that is above the rest, which is McQueen’s outsider. McQueen has such an overpowering presence that several sections of Hell is for Heroes begin to look like they might have been shot to appear in an elaborate character study, not a war drama. If Hell is for Heroes has an obvious flaw, then this is it. However, it is important to note that it is also McQueen who forces everyone else around him to match the quality of his performance, so a lot of the great material without him is reflective of his work elsewhere.

If Siegel would have added another hour, or more, of footage, Hell is for Heroes most likely would have evolved into one of the all-time greatest WWII films. Consider how much better Hell is for Heroes would have been if in this additional footage Siegel had urged two or three actors to challenge McQueen’s dominance and encourage the inevitable fireworks.

Other members of the cast include James Coburn, Harry Guardino, Bobby Darin, Bob Newhart, Fess Parker, Mike Kellin, L.Q. Jones, Bill Mullkin, and Michele Montau.

Hell Is for Heroes Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Hell is for Heroes arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a very beautiful new 4K master. On my system, the entire film looked outstanding. Delineation, clarity, and depth were outstanding. There are only a few bits of stock footage where for obvious reasons big fluctuations are present. I thought that the grayscale was terrific as well. Darker areas in particular are handled very well and plenty of darker nuances look great. Daylight footage reveals wonderful nuances, too. I would describe the dynamic range of the visuals as excellent, but it is easy to conclude that in native 4K there would be plenty of areas that look even more impressive. I did not see any traces of problematic digital corrections. A few areas could look a tad softer, but the entire film has a very solid organic appearance. Image stability is great. There are no age-related imperfections to report in our review. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Hell Is for Heroes Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The dialog is clear, stable, and easy to follow. During the battle at the end of the film dynamic intensity is quite good, but I think that your expectations should be to hear a limited range of dynamic contrasts. The upper register is very healthy. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Hell Is for Heroes Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Steve Mitchell and Steven Jay Rubin. I thought that the commentary was outstanding. The commentators share a lot of interesting information about some of the drama that surrounded the production of Hell is for Heroes, Don Siegel's relationship with Steve McQueen, how the rest of the actors viewed McQueen's behavior, Robert Pirosh's screenplay, etc. If you enjoy the film, or want to learn more about Siegel and McQueen, I suggest that you listen to the commentary in its entirety. It is one of the better commentaries to be included on a Kino Lorber release.

• Trailer - a remastered vintage trailer for Hell is for Heroes. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

Hell Is for Heroes Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Apparently, while Hell is for Heroes was being made, Steve McQueen created quite a bit of unnecessary drama. McQueen plays a very interesting character that is not easy to like but is the heart and soul of Hell is for Heroes, which is a bit unusual considering that he is surrounded by several outstanding actors. Don Siegel's direction is predictably solid, but a part of me is willing to speculate that with a substantially bigger budget he could have delivered a timeless masterpiece. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a terrific new 4K master. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.