The Young and the Brave

If you watch enough movies, eventually you are going to start seeing the same stories popping up. Hopefully there's some variation with that story, but the basics are usually there. Originally made by director John Ford in 1919 and then remade twice in the next 31 years, including the Ford 1948 version, Three Godfathers set a formula that was duplicated over and over again in westerns but also in comedies like Three Men and a Baby. But the oddest variation of the basic story? 1963's The Young and the Brave where the setting is 1952 in North Korea.

Sounds kind of ridiculous, doesn't it? The story of three men, typically not the cream of society, saving a young child in a perilous situation worked in the western context. I was skeptical of moving that context to the Korean War, but what do I know? The 1963 war movie completely works on any number of levels.

Weeks after their patrol was ambushed, three U.S. soldiers (Rory Calhoun, William Bendix, and Robert Ivers) escape from a North Korean prisoner of war camp. Heading south toward American lines, the trio is helped by a Korean family but a North Korean patrol attacks the family's farm and kills everyone except 7-year old Han (Manuel Padilla Jr.). The little boy not only witnesses the brutal massacre but also sees the fleeing American soldiers and blames them for not helping. Han sets out on his own, coming across a U.S. army dog separated from his owner who he names Lobo (why a North Korean boy would name a dog 'lobo,' the Spanish word for wolf, escapes me).

It's not long before the trio of soldiers crosses paths with Han, and the group travels together toward American lines. Along the way, they pick up another soldier, Estway (Richard Jaeckel), who also escaped but drew the wrath of his fellow prisoners when he collaborated with his North Korean captors. More importantly though, Estway has a rifle and a radio. So this odd group of individuals tries to reach safety as they outrun a North Korean patrol while also dealing with dwindling supplies of food and water.

Clearly shot on a small budget, this movie takes advantage of its simple story of a foursome of American soldiers and a young Korean boy and his dog trying to reach safety. They're not followed by a regiment or a division of North Korean soldiers, it's just a patrol of eight or nine men. The issue doesn't need that many soldiers, just enough to keep up a presence up. As far as the American soldiers are concerned, that patrol is a division. The chase builds up the tension, especially when they reach a seemingly abandoned farmhouse that may have batteries they need for their radio. The action is saved for the finale when Calhoun and Bendix must save little Han from a bare ridge during an artillery barrage. It's an exciting finale full of chaos and explosions that balances out the natural tension of the story perfectly.

What appealed to me going into the movie was the casting. No big stars here, just well-known, recognizable character actors given a chance to step into the spotlight. Calhoun plays Master Sgt. Brent, a rear echelon soldier thrust to the front who finds himself in an unlikely leadership position. Bendix is Sgt. Kane, a role the tough New York actor played countless times during his career, the rough and tumble NCO always ready for a fight. Jaeckel gets one of those roles where you're not quite sure if he's on the up and up, not quite a good guy but also not a bad guy. The revelation of his true colors provides one of the movie's better moments. And in the child actor department, Padilla is surprisingly good as Han, a young boy holding resentment of the men trying to save him. Small supporting parts go to John Agar and Richard Arlen.

If I hadn't known going in, I would have said this movie was made in the 1950s and was released as a not so sublte propaganda flick. The North Koreans, 'Commies' as Kane puts it, are pretty evil here, throwing grenades into houses full of kids, beating Han, any number of typical movie bad guy go-to moves. As for the Three Godfathers angle, Han bonds with the soldiers, especially Bendix's Kane, and hopes to go back to America with him. Is the storyline forced and a little sappy mixed together with some cheesiness? Absolutely, but I bought it hook, line and sinker. Surprisingly enough, it works with credit going to Bendix especially for pulling it off so realistically.

Filmed in black and white, the feel of the movie is pretty dark, very moody and gritty from start to finish. The actors have stubble on their faces, and sweat through their uniforms as they run. It felt like they were actually in the situation whereas many movies have the stars immaculately dressed and looking like they just stepped out of the makeup chair. A low budget war movie that completely surprised me. I loved it all from the story to the casting to the action, and I'm hoping a DVD is somewhere down the line. Until then, look for it on TCM.

The Young and The Brave <----trailer (1963): *** 1/2 /****