The High Command: A stiff uniform and a loose secret

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, you probably know if you’re into this or not before you even hit play. If you like movies where men in suits sit in mahogany-paneled rooms and talk about "duty" until the air gets thin, you’ll be fine. If you want a quick pace or something with a bit of a kick, stay away. It’s definitely a slow walk through some heavy hallways.

General Carson is the kind of guy who looks like he irons his socks. He’s all about the old honor code, that stuff that feels like it belongs in a different century even back when this was made. But then the past catches up to him. 1921 Ireland, specifically. It’s the kind of secret that doesn't just sit in a closet; it starts to rot the whole house.

James Mason is in this, and he’s doing that thing he does where he looks like he’s perpetually holding his breath. It works here, though. There’s a specific scene where he’s just standing near a window, and you can tell he’s already halfway to a nervous breakdown. He doesn't need to say much. His shoulders do all the heavy lifting.

The pacing is… well, it’s deliberate. Maybe too deliberate at times. There are moments where you just want someone to stop posturing and actually start yelling, but that’s not how these characters operate. They prefer to let the tension hang there like a bad smell. It’s frustrating, but I think that’s the point.

Bits and pieces:

• The lighting in the office scenes is really something. It’s all shadows and hard lines.
• The dialogue is very "of its time." Lots of clipped sentences that sound like they were written by someone who had never actually met a real human being.
• I kept thinking about the contrast here compared to the kinetic energy in something like Busy Bodies. Totally different worlds, obviously, but it’s funny how a movie can feel so heavy compared to stuff that’s just pure movement.
• The uniforms are immaculate. Honestly, kind of distracting.

The movie gets way more interesting once the veneer starts to crack. Once the General stops being a statue and starts being a mess, the film finds its pulse. It’s not perfect, and some of the supporting cast are clearly just there to fill space in the frame. But for a movie about a guy trying to outrun a memory, it hits the mark often enough.

It’s not trying to reinvent the wheel. It’s just trying to show you what happens when the wheel finally runs over your foot. It’s a bit dry, sure. But there’s a quiet, cold dread that sticks around after the screen goes black. That’s enough for me.