Megamind To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Usamah Harvey The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Madilyn Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

MartinHafer I have seen practically every film Jimmy Stewart made in his long and wonderful career. Somehow or other, I never saw this film and was surprised to see it was coming on--especially as I've never heard of it. Well, after seeing it, I can clearly see why this film is rarely seen or talked about, as it stinks.Up until the amazingly confusing ending, it still wasn't a good film but at least was passable entertainment. Stewart plays a major who's in charge of a small group of demolitions experts whose mission is to slow down the Japanese invasion. Despite the importance of the mission, I was surprised how many of Stewart's men seemed like unprofessional whiners. I would think that anyone who really did this job would be offended by this far less than heroic image--and these men must have been very brave and dedicated in real life.Into this motley crew comes a Chinese colonel and the wife of an executed Chinese general--who tag along for part of the mission. Having the lady there in the middle of war and with a group of desperate men seemed to make little sense. It made even less sense when inexplicably, she and Stewart completely out of the blue are in a bit of a romance. And it made yet less sense when she behaved the way she did late in the film, as she came off as sanctimonious and confusing. Stewart's character also made little sense late in the film, as he went from being a decent leader to Captain Ahab's less stable brother!! In fact, by the end of the film, the whole thing just degenerated into a mess--with everyone bickering and killing and complaining. Wow, how inspiring!! My advice is that unless you are a completist who wants to see every one of Stewart's films, this one is amazingly skip-able. Also in this same category would be POT 'O GOLD, THE MAGIC OF LASSIE and AN American TALE: FIVEL GOES WEST. Even great actors can't win 'em all!

matchettja Major Baldwin (Stewart) has his first command in East China when he is put in charge of a demolition squad with orders to evacuate once a base has been destroyed to prevent its capture by the advancing Japanese. Along the way he discovers the power associated with command and the abuse temptation offers along with such power. He also encounters some unexpected romance when the widow of a Chinese general in need of evacuation joins his squad.Unfortunately, as the group never comes into contact with the Japanese and is never in serious danger, we don't feel a lot of tension. Whatever threat there is comes from the Chinese themselves, from mobs of starving peasants to bands of wayward deserting marauders.The most interesting feature of the film deals with the difference of customs. The pomp and ceremony important to Chinese is alien to the Americans just wanting to get down to the business at hand. Looking from different points of view, each side views the other as somewhat barbarous and inhumane and as a result never quite reach the level of friendship each would have.Although Jerome Morass provides a spirited music score, it doesn't quite fit in with the action, or rather the lack of it. With an exception or two, the events on the screen just never generate much pathos, resulting in a not so poignant anti-war film.Stewart, as always, is worth watching, Lisa Lu has charm, and Harry Morgan gives a preview of what would become his Colonel Potter M*A*S*H* character.

bkoganbing The only film that World War II veteran James Stewart made during his career was one far away from his wartime experience flying missions over Germany in the European Theater. In fact it's the Chinese mainland theater which few have ever written about.One of those who did was Theodore H. White who in the year before his first Making of the President books came out wrote the novel on which The Mountain Road is based. White was a correspondent during World War II and he covered this forgotten theater of the war where more time was spent in the quarrels with American commander Joseph Stilwell and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek of the Kuomintang Nationalist Chinese forces than in actually fighting the Japanese.The year is 1944 and the Japanese army is once again on the offensive and the Chinese are retreating deeper into their interior. Stewart heads an eight man army demolition team and he's destroying a whole lot of things useful to the advancing Japanese, scorching the Chinese earth for the invaders.But he's in a country that the only things Americans know about it come from missionary tales, Pearl Buck novels, and Charlie Chan movies. Which would make Stewart's character no different than most of the rest of his countrymen. One of the people in his team is the Chinese speaking Glenn Corbett who's studied the language and culture.In this war movie, we never see the Japanese. Stewart's big problems come from the mass of refugees heading west to escape the advancing Japanese. He's also dealing with conflicting orders, with Chinese commanders looking to evade responsibility, and some outright bandits who really don't care who wins the war.Four of the team are killed and the reprisals Stewart takes cost him the affection of Lisa Lu, widow of a Chinese general who chose wrong politically and paid for it. Actually the performance I liked best in the movie is that of Frank Silvera as a Chinese Kuomintang commander who actually does understand and sympathize with Stewart, but who also knows his people.My guess is that James Stewart took this film because it's not a typical war film with no great combat scenes. It's about the responsibility of command in a war where you can't tell whom you should fear.Still The Mountain Road drags in spots and comes to no real satisfactory conclusion. It's different, but because of that remains one of James Stewart's least known and viewed films.

mike-859 Watching this film with jimmy stewart as a driven military man was interesting. I have always thought of stewart in the role in Harvey or its a wonderful life.Stewarts characters struggle with power and his obsession to accomplish his objective was fun to watch. This film is worth the time spent and includes some great character actors of this period. I think it deserves its 6.6 overall rating.Watching this movie develop reminded me of recent events in europe and made the film seem timely despite its age.