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The Young Lions

Play trailer Poster for The Young Lions 1958 2h 47m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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75% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Three soldiers endure the crucible of World War II. Christian Diestl (Marlon Brando) is a ski instructor turned Nazi lieutenant whose initial enthusiasm for Hitler is vanishing, Noah Ackerman (Montgomery Clift) is a Jewish-American grunt who fights to overcome prejudice in his own unit, and Michael Whiteacre (Dean Martin) is a Broadway crooner who uses his connections to avoid combat, only to later feel guilty about it. Near the end of the war, all three cross paths at a concentration camp.
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The Young Lions

Critics Reviews

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Penelope Houston Sight & Sound 03/30/2020
It moves with leaden efficiency from one character to another, one country to another, a battle-canvas with no central point of focus. Go to Full Review
Stefan Pape Common Sense Media 05/14/2025
These skillfully interwoven storylines result in a film of surprising depth that remains relevant today. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 07/04/2015
3/4
[UPDATED 2025 STREAMING REVIEW] As for Dino, he easily holds his own against Brando and Clift, the era’s most celebrated Method performers and among the cream of the Hollywood crop. Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 11/28/2008
B+
Despite major departures from Irwin Shaw's novel, Edward Dmytryk's film is an enjoyable, well executed WWII melodrama with top-notch turns from Marlon Brando as the sympathetic Nazi officer and Montgomery Clift as the shy Jewish-American soldier. Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 07/13/2004
B
All three stars shine and give this film a luster despite periodic breakdowns in the way the episodic story was told. Go to Full Review
Pablo Villaça Cinema em Cena 07/25/2003
5/5
Belssimo filme sobre a segunda guerra, mostrando ponto de vistas de soldados de ambos os lados do front. Brando, obviamente, assume o papel de alemo - e sua humanidade faz contraponto aos horrores que testemunha. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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bruce C @bruce999 1d am interesting study of ww2, from both sides. A german (brando) who doesn't want to hurt anyone, but has a lot of peer pressure to do it... and i enjoyed the scene when the french woman put him down, and he was still friendly to her. and then there's the americans who get into the war. (montgomery clift, is a young soldier who is miscast, and this hurts the film badly. Clift is a great actor, but his age shows, and a younger actor should of been chosen. Besides that ,the movie is interesting, and worth viewing. See more Lorenz L @Lorenz1060 Jun 15 Wow, this is bad. Brando is a bottle blond spewing idiotic truisms with an accent more appropriate for "Hogan’s Heroes". Poor, masochistic Monty Clift was still recovering from facial reconstruction and, great actor that he was, he is totally disjointed here. Why is Dean Martin here? Everyone – no matter the nationality or location, from Bavaria to Paris to Vermont – speaks with a stereotypical accent, some so bad that I laughed out loud. The Germans insert a "ja" into almost every sentence so we don’t forget they’re German; zee French girls are so ooh-la-la; Hope Lang’s daddy, converted from anti-Semite to father-in-law of a Jew in less than 60 seconds, paaks his caah in Havaad Yaad. The screenplay is ludicrous, but so is Dmytryk’s oh-so-slow direction. Really cheap sets and totally incorrect fashions are on display from the first moments in Bavaria on New Year’s Eve in 1938, where Barbara Rush enters a party wearing a dress that screams 1960. This DVD goes to the trash bin. See more Reuel S @RT47230415 07/24/2025 another great score by Hugo Friedhofer who scored One Eyed Jacks, The Best Years of our Lives, Soldier of Fortune, etc. always sweeping and understated yet powerful. the scene where wasp small town girl gone to NY, Hope Lang introduces Jewish Monty Clift to her father is masterfully played by all. the father played by Vaughn Taylor, who is seventh generation NE protestant in the film is so moving. Simple truth and acceptance of another world yet aknowledging the love his daughter has and his trust in her and conviction. See more Boopi H @RT90026120 06/16/2025 for a 50's production it was a nice little war movie. a tad talky at times, it still delivered a good amount of action. not nearly as good as European war flics. See more Leo P @RT23366938 05/03/2025 This static war movie could've well been staged in a theater as one act melodrama. Stereotypical heroes go through emotional hell without any conviction. Dying Brando is outright ridiculous. Too long, too pretentious, failed to stand the test of time. See more Rick L @RT35667484 01/07/2025 The director failed to give this movie some direction. See more Read all reviews
The Young Lions

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Movie Info

Synopsis Three soldiers endure the crucible of World War II. Christian Diestl (Marlon Brando) is a ski instructor turned Nazi lieutenant whose initial enthusiasm for Hitler is vanishing, Noah Ackerman (Montgomery Clift) is a Jewish-American grunt who fights to overcome prejudice in his own unit, and Michael Whiteacre (Dean Martin) is a Broadway crooner who uses his connections to avoid combat, only to later feel guilty about it. Near the end of the war, all three cross paths at a concentration camp.
Director
Edward Dmytryk
Producer
Al Lichtman
Screenwriter
Edward Anhalt
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Twentieth Century Fox
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 2, 1958, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 17, 2016
Runtime
2h 47m