Kattiera Nana I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Alex da Silva An army group are thrown together with the aim of preventing the Japanese from crossing a bridge in the Philippines during WW2. Sergeant Robert Taylor heads this small unit and we watch to see how many of his troop of 13 soldiers survive.This is one of the better war films from this period. It reminded me of the film "Five Came Back" (1939) as you try and guess who will make it out of the jungle. As usual, there is a cast to get to know – possibly a couple of people too many to make things truly effective as we just can't get to know that many people. However, the body count starts early on, so you get involved from the beginning and the film keeps you watching. The set is good and there are many battle scenes as we approach a memorable ending ……….. and you can feel the tension.

Terrell-4 This well-acted, tough World War II propaganda movie is an excellent example of the MGM style: Solid production values, some good acting...and a tendency to hit the message out of the ball park, and then hit it out again. And again. The story of a small group of soldiers fighting and dying to buy time for MacArthur to regroup around Bataan was, I suspect, a powerful movie when it came out in 1943. Now, it's a curious mixture of Hollywood theatrics mixed with some genuinely moving moments. At nearly two hours, it also goes on too long. For those who may believe that brave men can survive in propaganda war movies, read no further. It's early 1942 in the Philippines and Sergeant Bill Dane (Robert Taylor) with a mixed bag of semi-volunteers are given the assignment of blowing up a bridge which would otherwise be a primary crossing point for the invading Japanese army as it races south. They must also set up a defensive position across the chasm to keep the Japanese from rebuilding. Dane is a competent, no-nonsense Army lifer. The only other regular Army men he has is Corporal Jake Finegold (Thomas Mitchell), a wise old hand and long-time friend, and Corporal Barney Todd (Lloyd Nolan), a cynic who may have a history with Dane. The other ten men include an enthusiastic Navy corpsman, an engineer, an air force pilot, a medic and a supply corporal. The story line is simple. As we learn about these men and their histories, the Japanese pick them off one by one. And as they die, the dedication of the remaining men only grows stronger. We're left with the image of a row of graves barely visible as ground fog sweeps among them, with the rifles of the dead men thrust into the ground as headstone markers. Then the movement of Japanese soldiers creeping in for the final attack...with Sergeant Dane, exhausted and wounded, the last remaining man, rising to his feet, clutching his machine gun and blazing away at the charging enemy. "Come on, suckers," he screams, "come and get it! We're still here! We'll always be here!"The cast is small and gets smaller. Demographically, it matches Hollywood's idea of America. There's an Hispanic, a black, a Jew, a misfit, a young kid, a Philippine scout, a...well, you get the idea. Thomas Mitchell as Corporal Finegold plays his patented role of giving us some of the movie's messages. When early in the movie Dane bemoans how unprofessional his group of soldiers is, Finegold just says, "You can't always tell, sergeant. Some of those kids learn pretty quick and kinda good." Later, when Dane is discouraged and says, "I wonder how long these guys can stand up to this stuff," Corporal Finegold says to Dane (and to the theater goers), "Those kids signed up for this just like you and me. They'll get tired, sure. Things'll get tough, sure. But I don't think they'll put their tails between their legs and run anymore than you would." Robert Walker in his first credited film role plays the very young, gum- chewing corpsman. It's wise to remember that in propaganda movies it can be fatal to start dictating a letter home to your Mom. George Murphy plays the pilot who manages to get his bi-wing aircraft off but is wounded in the process. As with the other men, he chooses to die heroically. Even a conscientious objector who signed on as a non-combat medic winds up throwing grenades. Robert Taylor and Lloyd Nolan are particularly effective. I couldn't help but admire the professionalism of the movie. Yet knowing the men are going to get picked off, combined with the length of the movie, had me tensing every time someone decided to stand up, write a letter, peer over a sandbag, talk about his life back home or sing a spiritual. The tension is effective for the first hour, but after a while it got to be a strain. The one face-to-face fight towards the end of the movie, when Japanese soldiers camouflaged to look like brush and bushes begin to move toward the remaining men, and the men respond first with machine guns and then with bayonets, was a relief. It also was a brutal look at hand-to-hand combat. It's hard to beat war propaganda that lets us see average men and women gladly dying for a cause nobler than their own lives. At that level, the movie works. Bataan may be dated, but if you enjoy older war movies you might like this one.

gazzo-2 Well what can you add to this that others here haven't? It's a Rambo-lite movie, Chuck Norris and/or Sly would have been at home in it. About a dozen US GI's hold off about half the Imperial Japanese Army as it descends on the Phillipines, and as you prob. already know if you knew any history, no one is left standing at the end of the movie.Casting is quite effective-Robert Taylor, Lloyd Nolan, George Murphy, Desi Arnez, etc. All quite good. Robert Walker Jr. has the scared idiot hick role, which is a weak link but prob. acted as written. These guys aren't so much characters as types-look at the names-Matowski, Feingold, a hispanic, black, a phillipino, etc etc. typical of WWII movies. I think they played their parts fairly well.Some of the stuff of course is dated-the hand to hand stuff, while kinda intense and all over the place, gets laughable when you see the Japanese fall over w/out so much as a scratch or barely hit or whatever. (I'm fairly sure that Sam Peckinpah had to have had this in mind when he did 'the Wild Bunch', you know?) On top of it-it's of course set-bound, the exteriors just in a backlot, etc.-but for what it's worth, they do a good job w/ what they had for atmosphere, setting, feeling, mood. Plus watching the bridge get blown up is fun.Check it out if you like WWII flag-wavers, enjoy familiar faces like Thomas Mitchell and Desi, and don't worry too much about it being 'Pvt Ryan' or whatever. It's pretty good.*** outta ****

drmality-1 My Mom saw this movie at the time it was released and said it gave her more nightmares than any horror film she ever saw. It is still violent today and must have been shockingly brutal back in the day.Yes, you can say some of the soldiers are clichéd, but death is shown unflinchingly. Combat is portrayed as a bloody, messy, fatigue-inducing business. Boredom and endless waiting take their toll on nerves as well. The banter and cocky talk is whistling past the graveyard.Lloyd Nolan's character is rough and unlikeable. He fights for freedom, but he fights dirty and he doesn't pretty things up with patriotic speeches. Some might complain about the black soldier playing harmonica and taking orders from white men. Actually, for the time, he was portrayed with dignity and shown to be as brave as any of the other soldiers. As for Robert Taylor, his weariness and resolve at the end are stirring and the last scene is not one you will soon forget.Ignoring the propaganda aspects of the movie, the last half works as almost a pure horror movie, as our cast gets gruesomely picked off by unseen foes lurking in the jungle.Exciting and gripping, it's easy to overlook the faults of this most violent and gritty of WW2 films made at the time."Bushido, Bushwa! You stink!" So died the heroes of Bataan...