is this movie violent and gritty
Yes. Of course it is. It's a farking WAR MOVIE!One of the best.
Actually, the realistic portrayal of war in "HIFH" was Siegel's way of making an anti-war film.
Yes, it's very gritty and violent, especially for a film made in the early 1960's. I've been chasing grace/ But grace ain't easy to find