[2] A dedicated, decorated war veteran, Master Sergeant Callan, is posted in France at a fuel supply depot in 1952.

But distracting the sergeant is a physical attraction to one of his men, Private First Class Thomas Swanson, that seems at odds with everything in Callan's personality.

He makes Swanson his orderly and befriends him socially, but behind his back scares off Solange, the private's girlfriend.

Unable to resist the urge, the sergeant attempts to kiss Swanson and is violently warded off.

[4] Vincent Canby of The New York Times called The Sergeant a "worth seeing [film]", adding to it that "even when you're running ahead of it, anticipating its crises and climaxes as if they were stops on the BMT".