Square of Violence Reviews

In one of Crawford's most demanding roles he plays a doctor and member of the resistance in a town occupied by Nazis. The underground movement plans an attack against the Germans, but is called off at the last minute without Crawford's knowledge. He goes through with his part anyway, tossing a bomb which kills 30 German soldiers. The enraged German officer, Plesa, demands to know the identity of the man responsible for the bombings; otherwise he threatens to kill 900 hostages held in the town square. Crawford is thus put in the trying position of whether or not to confess. If he does he will be subject to torture that may jeopordize the entire movement, and the hostages may not be released; or to hide and be killed with the hostages. He decides to hide and be killed along with the hostages, but in an ironic ending, he is killed by another resistance member. Before he dies, he tells Plesa that he was responsible for the bombings, but the general kills the hostages anyway. A poignant look at the atrocities of war as they affect an individual. Crawford is brilliant in what may very well be the best performance of his career. He effectively transmits the inner turmoil his character is going through. At times the script depends too heavily upon dialog, and the dubbing of the voices of Yugoslav actors is annoying, but these minor flaws do not hurt the overall power of this picture.