It was the first war film of its kind to tell its story from the viewpoint of the GI.Handsome matinee silent screen idol John Gilbert gave his greatest acting performance in a star-making role as one of three Americans who enlisted and was swept into the war in France., and other settings), but most of it was actually filmed on sound stages with stylized, artificial studio sets.While on patrol, they are ambushed, knocked unconscious, and taken away by helicopter into Manchuria to be held captive.Friction developed between Krieger and Hunt about who possessed the real NOC disk (there were two disks and both men had one).Reggie reacts to CIA administrator-agent Mr.Hamilton Bartholomew""s (Walter Matthau) warning at the American Embassy that the three men are probably coming after her: ("If you""re trying to frighten me, you""re doing a first-rate job!")There were many memorable twists and turns in the plot, and bizarre and violent situations that include a classic, suspenseful, violent and scary fight scene, progressing from a hotel room to the slippery rooftop of the Parisian office of American Express (with a backdrop of neon lights), between Peter and thug Herman Scobie (George Kennedy) with an artificial hooked hand.