It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

This film is set just after WWII and is set in a hospital in Burma---filled with soldiers who can't wait to be sent home. At this point, most of the patients have left and there are just six left. One of them, Corporal MacLachlan, is a thoroughly unpleasant person. What he doesn't know is that he's dying. Back in the old days, if your kidneys gave out, they apparently didn't have dialysis and it certainly was in the days before transplants. MacLachlan's lost one kidney and the other is so badly damaged it's only a matter of weeks until he dies. To help boost his morale, they decide to move him in with the last five patients. And, to try to help him in his final days, they tell the five about MacLachlan's dilemma and ask that they all become his friends and assist him. But, sadly, MacLachlan is so horrible a personality, that it's practically impossible for the men to like him--and he pushes everyone away at every opportunity. I actually like this because too often dying people are noble in films's--this guy defies the cliché, that's for sure! Can he make any connection with these men and can MacLachlan make peace with life? Tune in and see.This is an interesting film because Richard Todd stars as the angry Scotsman. It's interesting for several reasons. First, he was not a Scot but Irish--and he still did a great job. Second, while a famous actor, he's not that well known outside Britain and it's a chance to see him in a mainstream Hollywood film. And, in addition, Ronald Reagan and Patricia Neal do very well in their important roles. Finally, I liked the emotional component--particularly towards the end of the film. It took a lot of risks and in the process yanked the viewers' hearts--it's an excellent tear-jerker. As I said above, the dying man, at least initially, was quite unlikable. And, the acting is very nice as well. Overall, it's a very good film. About the only serious problem I saw in the film was the Nigerian character, Blossom. He has almost no discernible personality or intellect. Could any person be this stupid or sub-human? Having him never say anything other than this patronizing name seemed sad and reinforced the idea of black men being less intelligent--a sad stereotype to say the least!

This is a special movie and simply one of the best dramas on film when it comes to a touching heartfelt story. As others have said, there are no gimmicks or pretensions, just a very genuine story of people doing their best under the circumstances, wanting to give friendship each in their own way, and of one who doesn't know how to accept it.I recall seeing "The Hasty Heart" as a youngster and of course didn't understand most of it yet came away inwardly moved. It is only decades later when able to view the video that I was more totally drawn into the drama, the scenes and dialog, and could appreciate the superb performances of the actors. One can readily see how it had been a fine stage play because of such excellent dialog as the scenes unfolded. Really topnotch.There is Richard Todd as Lachie, the recuperating soldier impatient to return home after the announcement that the war has ended. However, it's doubtful he'll be going as his time is limited due to serious health failure which he is unaware of. Others in the makeshift hospital ward are encouraged to befriend him when he is brought to settle in their midst but with mixed results because of his 'standoff-ishness'. I think Reagan is very convincing in his role as the American soldier who sees things as they are, speaks his mind, and knows how to accept life.It's a wonderful story about the meaning of friendship and I think one other film similar to it would be "The Captive Heart" (1946) with Michael Redgrave, a very heartwarming wartime drama.A great film in my opinion dealing with the plain, unadorned human side of life.

"The Hasty Heart" is one of the most effective tearjerkers I know of. In a way, I guess, it could be called manipulative: Having a character we know from the start to be terminally ill is pretty much a sure thing. But this movie earns all its tears.Richard Todd gives a superb performance as the Scottish soldier who is afraid of intimacy. Why he didn't win an Academy Award is a mystery. His performance is as brave as he and the other characters in the movie are portrayed as being.Patricia Neal, too, is excellent. She is a great favorite of mine but that's irrelevant: had she never made another movie, her Sister Parker would be a knockout in American movie history. (Thankfully, she did make many more.) The supporting cast is superb. However, I don't care for Ronald Reagan in his important role. This has nothing to do with politics and he often could be very good. But he doesn't seem to me to fit in with the ensemble -- and this is very much an ensemble piece.Pat O'Brien would have been much better, but he was too old. William Holden would have been right too, but he was too young.Several things in the movie are outdated. The slight condescension toward the black character, Blossom, was of its time. It makes one cringe a little now. It's also sort of funny to see so many people in a hospital unit smoking cigarettes. Thankfully, that's behind us too, at least as a way for sick people to feel better.Vincent Sherman's directing is possibly his best. And he was a fine director. The story is simple, direct, and heartbreaking. And Todd is a marvel -- truly a marvel.

My diary records my varying impressions of this film:1985A young man doesn't know he is dying. He doesn't appreciate people. His friends know his fate and try to be kind, but he rejects them. They don't give up, and he mellows a little. But then he finds out he is dying and that they knew. He interprets their kindness as mere pity, is outraged and prepares to die alone. However a man who doesn't speak English, and therefore doesn't know he is dying gives him a gift, and convinces him that there is genuine friendship in this world. The movie is gimmicky and contrived, like a dramatized sermon, but it is one of the better films ever made. 1986This time I wasn't tearful. I found it rather preachy. The writer should have written a short essay rather than bore us with a contrived plot.1998I loved it just as much as when I first saw it. The critics, true to form, despised its "sentimentality", yet it is an exceptionally lucid, warm and wonderful play, Reagan's best and most humane role. 2000One of my most favorite movies. It focuses your attention on what is valuable in life, stripping away pride. We all have a very limited time, and appreciation and gratitude is in order. The real subject of the film however, is faith in mankind. The bitter man's faith has been shattered by the war. Yet he learns that however murky and ignoble people's motives may be, one must cherish every morsel of kindness one can get or give. (Although solitude is not that bad either!!!) Profoundly wise and moving!