Not an easy picture to dissect. Director Jack Garfein's first film, an adaptation of Calder Willingham's novel and play "End as a Man", scripted by Willingham, is rather like "The Lord of the Flies" as filtered through the Actor's Studio. Military college cadet Ben Gazzara intimidates his roommate and the terrified freshman class after instigating the beating of a rival; seems he's such a proficient con-artist, he makes the unprovoked attack look like a one-man drunken rampage and gets the unfortunate kid expelled. Despite Willingham's penchant for high-flown prose (especially in regards to Gazzara's bully, who talks like he's been hustling on the streets of New York City for 40 years), this is an extremely well-crafted, well-acted psychological drama, though the movie ultimately lacks punch because the plot is just a series of quick hits on the viewer. Willingham and Garfein want to make several important points and observations, but the restraints of the era seem to have the filmmakers tied up in knots. None of this explains how Gazzara so easily demoralizes everyone with a few well-chosen words and stern expressions, or how he manages to get even his superior (the victim's own father!) stammering with exasperation. The third act of the film is drawn out for very little purpose; instead of getting a substantial look into these complex personalities, we're offered a showy revenge fantasy. These hysterics are useless and, ultimately, irrelevant. ** from ****