Bataan

That John Ford, he left his fingerprints wherever he went. His classic 1934 war film The Lost Patrol was spun and spun quickly into remakes over the next 20 or so years, including westerns, Last of the Comanches (an underrated gem), a Soviet film using the same premise, and two World War II movies released the same year in 1943, Sahara and Bataan. Today's review. A Pacific setting with Bataan.

In the months following the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces sweep across the Pacific against an unprepared American army. The fighting is especially rough on the Bataan peninsula, American forces retreating and defending with ever-dwindling supplies. Small forces are being ordered to hold their positions, including Sergeant Bill Dane (Robert Taylor) and Corporal Jake Feingold (Thomas Mitchell). Their mission? Blow up a key bridge over a deep mountain pass and prevent Japanese forces from rebuilding the bridge and advancing on the retreating army. They join a small squad that's been assembled to do the job, commanded by Captain Henry Lassiter (Lee Bowman), and pull it off, the bridge going up in a huge, ground-shaking explosion. Lassiter is killed soon after though by a Japanese sniper, leaving a command void. Sgt. Dane steps in, pulling the men together as they prepare to hold off a Japanese force that's increasing in numbers by the hour.

World War II is often remembered for the Allied victories like D-Day, Iwo Jima and countless others. The defeats? Not so much. This isn't a defeat. This is the WWII defeat. Outnumbered and under-supplied, American and Filipino forces held out for three months before surrendering and ultimately becoming part of the infamous, horrifying Bataan Death March. How then do you spin that story to an audience during a war where the fighting raged stronger than ever? You don't spin it. You present it almost as is with all the gruesome, hard-to-watch truths. From director Tay Garnett, this is a no-frills, brutally dark and effective anti-war movie that manages to illustrate the heroism of those men fighting on Bataan.

Movies released during a war about said war tend to be straight, out-and-out propaganda flicks, stories and characters meant to inspire and get the audience's patriotic juices flowing. This movie....does not, not in the typical sense at least. Without resorting to any flag-waving tactics, 'Bataan' lays things out there about the heroism of the soldiers fighting on Bataan. The truth of it is that these men were basically abandoned by the government and armed forces because rescue simply wasn't possible. They did a nasty job all the while knowing that the end of the road would not be a pleasant one. Here in 'Bataan,' a small 13-man squad is stationed in the jungle on a remote hillside overlooking a bridge in a mountain pass. This battle will not change the course of the war or even be remembered, but in the face of impossible, almost suicidal odds, these men stayed and fought. A true story? Nothing documented, but you know firefights and battles like this happened, and that's what rings true the strongest.

This ahead of its time WWII flick gets points because of its casting. The squad left behind to do the job features an array of multi-ethnic characters, including white, black, Hispanic and Filipino soldiers defending the bridge. I'm typically hurt or miss about Robert Taylor, but this is one of his absolute best. His Sergeant Bill Dane is the American soldier, a tough, no-nonsense veteran trying to hold his command together. His growling voice, his chin covered with a two-day growth of beard, he looks like a tough NCO you'd want to follow into battle. Some of the movie's strongest dramatic moments have Dane quietly considering if what he's doing is right, if maybe he should give the order to retreat. But no, a soldier's duty is a soldier's duty, even if doing his job is incredibly dangerous and could likely claim both his life and the lives of all his men. Kudos to Mr. Taylor, an excellent, scene-stealing performance.

A forerunner of movies like The Dirty Dozen, 'Bataan' features an ensemble cast of actors from different ages, ethnicities and backgrounds. In 1943...so that's impressive. Along with Taylor and Mitchell, look for Lt. Bentley (George Murphy), the pilot with a busted plane, Cpl. Todd (Lloyd Nolan), the troublemaker, Purckett (Robert Walker), the talkative sailor, Ramirez (Desi Arnaz), the tough Latino out of Los Angeles, Matowski (Barry Nelson), an engineer, Hardy (Phillip Terry), the medic, Katigback (Roque Espiritu), a Filipino pilot, Salazar (Alex Havier), the Filipino scout, Eeps (Kenneth Spencer), an African-American soldier and demo expert, and Malloy (Tom Dugan), the grizzled vet and cook. In as subtle fashion as possible, the cast shows the complete effort of the war, that everyone was involved in fighting and working together. White, black, Filipino, Hispanic, any and all, a cast and story ahead of its time concerning war movies.

Maybe the most striking thing about the movie is its portrayal of violence. We're not talking Peckinpah-esque blood squibs, but there is blood. The violence is brutal and harsh without being graphic. It is quick and hard-hitting, the camera never lingering too long on any one scene. Characters are dispatched without warning, often in shocking fashion. An extended hand-to-hand combat scene late actually has the film sped up, giving the fighting a frantic, chaotic feel. The movie is interested in getting a message across, but again, handles it in incredibly subtle fashion. What is it? Sacrifices have to be made in war, and here, these men are ready to give their lives to hold this otherwise pointless speck on the map. The ending especially works, maybe the only real incident of true propaganda in the entire movie, but it just flows. A very emotionally effective ending.

Oh, and one more thing. 'Bataan' was filmed mostly on an indoor set, a claustrophobic, congested jungle flush with vegetation. Fog rolls in, blanketing the outpost at almost all times. Japanese snipers are all around, an almost entirely unseen enemy just waiting to strike. As far as mood and setting the scene, this WWII film is pretty perfect. The whole movie is for that matter. A gem of a film, one of the first anti-war films I can remember. Gutsy considering it was released right in the midst of the war.

Bataan (1943): ****/****

Santiago

I can think of exactly one movie made about the Spanish-American War. Okay, there I go again lying. It's actually a miniseries, 1997's Rough Riders, that's pretty good if not so well known. Well, I can kinda add a second movie to the list although it involves the years leading up to the war before the U.S. officially got involved. Here we go with 1956's Santiago.

Riding through the swamps of Florida, Cash Adams (Alan Ladd) arrives in Tampa with wagons loaded with guns, ammunition and dynamite ready to close a deal and make some money for himself and his men. Not so fast though, Mr. Adams. The deal he cut with Cuban revolutionaries fighting the Spanish is okay, but now he has to get all his materiel to Cuba himself. Adams finds an old steamboat captain and Civil War veteran, Sidewheel Jones (Chill Wills), to transport his supplies but it's not that simple. On board the boat is another gunrunner, Clay Pike (Lloyd Nolan), who has cut a similar deal with the Cubans. Adams has a rivalry with Pike dating back 10-plus years and the voyage across the Gulf of Mexico will be anything but easy. Spanish ships are waiting to stop them, if the ship can even get there before Adams and Pike tear each other apart.

Airing recently on Turner Classic Movies, 'Santiago' is from director Gordon Douglas. Not necessarily a well-known name, Douglas still has quite a few really solid movies to his name including Rio Conchos, Chuka, In Like Flint, Up Periscope and Golf of the Seven Saints among others. He specialized in tough movies, action and western and war flicks full of tough guy actors doing tough guy stuff. Douglas didn't have a huge visual style or anything that truly set him apart from the rest, but he was a solid, workmanlike director, and I have very much enjoyed a lot of his movies. This one? It's pretty decent, ahead of its time in certain moments with its use of on-screen violence and unfortunately too familiar in other scenes. It doesn't rewrite the genre, but I enjoyed it, 94 minutes of exciting action with a pretty cool cast and a different background, the Cuban War of Independence. Spanish-American War still to come!

The best comparison I can make is the similarities here with Robert Aldrich's 1954 classic western Vera Cruz, one of the most influential westerns of all-time. Here with 'Santiago,' Alan Ladd and Lloyd Nolan channel Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster, two rivals who are forced to work together to battle a common enemy. All the while, they know a showdown is looming. Ladd is pretty decent as Cash Adams, his backstory providing most of the interest. A cavalry officer fighting the Apaches, he was dishonorably discharged when a captive Apache chief escaped because one of his men got drunk on guard duty. And who was providing those Apaches with repeating rifles? Why Nolan's Clay Pike of course! The rivalry is a little tame, little lacking in energy, but it seems Adams and Pike are never too far away from throwing down and having it out. 

I wish there was more of that darker story material, and that becomes the issue. Yeah, it's a rivalry....but not really. Ladd's Adams is a good gunrunner (if there is such a thing), supplying materiel for the right side. Nolan's Pike doesn't care who gets the guns as long as he gets paid. And because that wasn't enough, we get a love interest with Rossana Podesta playing Dona Isabella, a beautiful Cuban revolutionary who works as the middleman for shipment of the guns. Who do you think she'll end up with?!? You won't need two guesses. There's also an adorable little Cuban boy who bonds with Adams, but you just know things aren't going to end well for the little stinker. At times, things are a tad too clean, a little slow-moving, but for the most part I was entertained throughout. Also, kudos to Ladd who in muggy Florida and Cuba manages to keep his tailored white shirts immaculate no matter what's going on. Now, THAT is talent.

Who else to look for? Wills is excellent, toning down his over the top act that could be a little hammy when overdone, Don Blackman playing Sam, his former slave and current right-hand man. Paul Fix is similarly very good as Trasker, Adams' loyal right-hand man with an interesting background that explain his loyalty. Some of the other tough guys on hand include Royal Dano, L.Q. Jones, and Frank DeKova. The movie is at its strongest when it leans on Ladd, Nolan and the familiar faces all around them. Romance? Motivations for independence? Meh, no thanks. The action and violence can be pretty startling -- even bloody -- and the finale especially is memorable. It even reminded me of the final battle in Major Dundee, a chaotic, quick-cut bloody mess where characters are dispatched without warning.

A decent movie that could have been better, but still worth a watch.

Santiago (1956): ** 1/2 /****

The Double Man

The movie world of secret agents, espionage and government conspiracies is a tricky one. Thanks to wave after wave of movies set in that world, as a viewer, we've seen everything. With that genre more than most, a movie has to tread that ever so thin line between hard-edged, goofy and plain old spoof. That's 1967's The Double Man, an espionage movie that tries to be hard-edged but ends up falling far short.

Working as a high-up CIA analyst, Dan Slater (Yul Brynner) receives some startling news. His son has been killed in a skiing accident in the Swiss Alps. Dropping everything, Slater heads to Switzerland to investigate, not quite believing that his son -- an accomplished skier -- would die in the way described. He finds that the police have basically shrugged it off, claiming accident, but even a quick look shows Slater that something else was going on. He tries to find one of the witnesses, Gina (Britt Ekland), who saw his son moments before his death, but Slater has no idea what's in store for him.

Airing on Turner Classic Movies recently as part of a Brynner tribute night, I recorded 'Double' mostly because I'd never heard a thing about it. Some 40-plus years later, this is an almost completely forgotten 1960s spy thriller. It's easy to see why....it just isn't very good. The twist is that Russian agents (Anton Diffring, George Mikell <----both looking odd without their German uniforms, and Brandon Brady) have exact body doubles ready for Slater and several other high-up CIA agents. Intelligence security in the U.S. will be a joke after this infiltration. Could it happen? Not the point. In execution, it comes across as a big joke, bordering on the spoof aspect.

So we're off to a good start. The premise -- while at least remotely possible -- is flawed because there's never a sense of urgency. It's revealed in the opening scene about the Russians' plan to infiltrate American intelligence, but then it takes over an hour for the attempts at the switches to actually come about. In the meantime, Slater skis around Switzerland, pursuing Ekland's Gina for questions, drinking, flirting with Moira Lister, and dodging the inept agents following him. Nothing screams out 'SPOOF!' but it nonetheless has that feel. Lloyd Nolan as Edwards, Slater's supervisor, screams all his lines and then disappears at the halfway point. Also worthy of some pokes and prods is a bizarre jazzy, big band score to the spy thriller. What aids a chase across the Swiss Alps? Not a club band of horns and trombones in a score reminiscent of a bad 1970s TV cop show.

Any positives to take away from this one? Yes, and not surprisingly, it's star Yul Brynner. It's not a great performance -- maybe not even a really good one -- but Brynner always was watchable on-screen. It is a more subdued part than I would think with a secret agent father seemingly not too pissed about his son's death. Curious? Yes, but I wanted some rage...something else. Still, it's Yul Brynner, I like him, and he's playing a secret agent. Thumbs up. Just 25 years old and still somewhat new to movies, Ekland is....well....she's gorgeous. Her character is eye candy and really nothing else. It is a serviceable part, one necessary to keep the story going. On the positive, Ekland was perfectly cast as eye candy even if a possible relationship with Slater seems forced. The Russian agents are all right, Diffring and Mikell both familiar faces as Nazis/Germans in countless 1960s WWII movies. Clive Revill is good as Wheatley, the on-location agent who comes under Slater's wrath.

Spy/espionage thrillers are right in my wheelhouse. I'll give them all a try. This one is just too dull to be even remotely interesting. Long, extended shots of people skiing or chasing each other across Switzerland does in fact look good (it's a beautiful country), but in terms of entertainment it falls short. The finale over the last 30 minutes or so makes up for it to a point, but the ending tries too hard. A twist gets thrown our way in this Franklin J. Schaffner directed thriller -- which I think I kept up with -- that allows/forces us to make our own conclusions. On the whole, it falls short despite Brynner's efforts, Ekland's looks and an exciting finale.

The Double Man <---TCM clips (1967): **/****

Guadalcanal Diary

I've watched my fair share of war movies in my years as a movie fan so I found that from time to time I have to remind myself something. Watching a movie now in 2011, I'm obviously going to have a different reaction to a movie than say, an audience member seeing it in 1943.  What was original or unique some 70-plus years ago probably isn't that way now.  That thought kept rolling through my head as I watched 1943's Guadalcanal Diary.

First seen in theaters just ten months since the end of the actual Guadalcanal campaign, 'Diary' at the time must have been an eye-opener for audiences.  As much as a movie in 1943 could, it tried to show what the day-to-day life of a Marine fighting on an enemy-held island was really like.  With an almost documentary feel to the movie, it shows the relationships that develop, the bond having fought and survived combat, the fears and desires of the soldiers who just want to go home.  Anything original in there as pertaining to war movies, specifically WWII movies? Nope, not at all, but in 1943 I bet it was a hit for audiences. Even now, having seen the same formula done repeatedly since, I can still see the appeal.

It's late summer 1942 in the South Pacific and on-board a troop transport is a battalion of Marines waiting to receive their orders. The men wait anxiously and excitedly, wanting to get the fighting going but also scared of what it possibly represents.  Among these men is Capt. Davis (Richard Conte) and his company, a melting pot of Americans serving together to help defeat the Axis powers. Finally the orders come through with an objective, the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomons.  The Marines will hit the beaches first, hoping to drive inland and capture a recently built Japanese airfield.  The beach landing goes smooth, but that will be the easiest part of the campaign.  Waiting for more supplies and reinforcements to arrive, the Marines go to work, clearing the island inch by inch and cave by cave of Japanese defenders.

This is one of the first examples I can think of for a well-worn and familiar war sub-genre, the "unit picture," a story told from the perspective of a squad, platoon, company, battalion and so on.  Here the group is a little smaller, but they mostly manage to rise above their cardboard cutouts of characters.  William Bendix plays Taxi Potts, a Brooklyn native always wondering what's going on back home. Preston Foster is Father Donnelly, the stoic, calm and trustworthy priest, Lloyd Nolan is Sgt. Hook Malone, the reliable and tough platoon sergeant, Anthony Quinn is Suarez, the Latino ladies man, and Richard Jaeckel -- just 17 at the time -- plays Pvt. Chicken Anderson, the youngster of the group. Conte is solid as the company commander, rivals and friends with a fellow commander, Capt. Cross (Roy Roberts). Of the group, Nolan especially stands out as does Jaeckel in his film debut. I also could have sworn I saw John Hodiak briefly, but I can't find info on it anywhere.

From director Lewis Seiler, this is a movie based off a book from war correspondent Richard Tregaskis and his experiences during the Guadalcanal campaign.  Because it is based off what he actually saw, the depiction of the Marines is realistic without too many exaggerations.  Some five months of fighting has to be crammed into a 93-minute movie so some jumps are made but nothing major is cut. My one complaint comes from transitioning Tregaskis' book to the big screen.  In an effort to stay true to his book, a fair share of narration rolls over the movie, moving the story along with some wordy passages that don't always fit.  They're very stiff and reminded me of a pretentious student reading his paper, incredibly proud of how good it is. The narration tries too hard to impress us with its intelligence and depth but never quite gets there.

What separates 'Guadalcanal' from some other WWII movies actually released in the war is the reality of it, the believable nature of the whole thing. Certain scenes ring true because it's easy to believe a soldier doing this action or having this thought.  Before the battle, HQ discusses burial details for the upcoming fight, putting a dark cloud on the horizon right away. It is a quick scene (maybe 15 seconds tops), but in its simplicity and powerful message, it stands out. The night before the Marines hit the beach, Bendix's Taxi is dancing like a Hawaiian hula girl, stopping when he sees Foster's Father Donnelly watching. Donnelly senses the nerves, the fear, the terror in the room and joins Taxi in an Irish dance much to the delight of the rest of the men.

There's more though that keep coming to mind. Baby-faced Jaeckel's Chicken claims to have a girlfriend back home but it's really just his mother. We get a quick glimpse of one of her letters to her son, a perfect little moment as she tells what's going on back home. His response back is equally moving as he tries to comfort his parents, convincing them that he's okay and doing well.  By far though, the best scene has the platoon waiting out a bombing raid in a small, cramped dugout. Bendix's Taxi Potts explains his feelings on prayer, God, and the hell of their situation. Bendix often got typecast as the lovable galoot, but he shows his skill here, delivering an incredible montage about soldiering, dying and hopefully, surviving. It's a powerful moment, one of many in this underrated WWII movie.

Guadalcanal Diary <---trailer (1943): ***/****