10 Best Performances In Stanley Kubrick's Films

Kirk Douglas' understated performance in this soul-crushing WWI drama gives us a close look at the cold-blooded nature of war outside the battlefield. After Col. Dax and his battalion retreat from an unwinnable, disastrous battle, his superiors court-martial three of his soldiers for cowardice. Dax uses his skills as a former lawyer to fight like hell for his men, but he must navigate an amoral institution full of greedy opportunists and back-stabbing cowards.

Dax is the moral center of Paths of Glory, and while a less-skilled actor would fall into the trap of one-note sentimentality, Douglas’ subtle performance makes Dax likable and down-to-earth. The actor’s natural gravitas is a perfect fit for a noble leader like Dax, but he doesn’t need to yell or bang his fists on the table to get his point across. Dax leads with quiet strength and empathy, and after seeing how hard he fights to save his soldiers, you would follow him to hell and back.

But in the end, Dax's efforts do very little against the corrupt establishment that put him where he is. He may reject advancing in a broken system after losing his men, but all he can do is continue to function for it. Dax starts Paths of Glory as an optimistic patriot, and while he walks away with his morality intact, the disillusionment is clear as day on Douglas' face.