Pluskylang Great Film overall

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Peter Swanson I've always enjoyed this film, but in viewing it yesterday a couple of things bothered me which I had not previously noticed. 1) For about half of the movie John Wayne's character acts not just inexperienced, but downright childish, very unlike any other character of his with which I'm familiar. 2) I found the musical background to be very obtrusive. I expect overwrought patriotism from any 1940s war movie, but this one went overboard. Every few minutes, especially when action is happening, they gave us a taste of The Battle Hymn of the Republic, The Navy Hymn, or even a few bars of the national anthem. They were more such intrusions, but I didn't write them down.I appreciate Robert Montgomery's acting, and contributions to the production, as he actually did serve on PT boats during the war.

anghmho Every time I read IMDb reviews or message boards, I am appalled at how much misinformation and ignorance I encounter. I am mystified about where some reviewers get their information and by what deficient process they form their opinions of a film's worth.If you want to know what reviewers thought back when a vintage film was first released, go to the online archives of newspapers such as The New York Times. In retrospect, the old-time reviewers were usually right on the money.To those reviewers who think They Were Expendable is sentimental, you're right. It's a John Ford film, after all. By all reports, John Ford was a dictatorial SOB who was a horror to work with, but he made great films. This is one of his best, if not THE best.To those reviewers who think this film is a fine portrayal of men's loyalty to their country and to each other in a truly tough time, you're right, too. And so are the reviewers who can crawl into the skin of the men who are portrayed here--in an impossible situation, without the ghost of a chance of relief, scared to death, and knowing that they are doomed.To those reviewers who find this film boring, I can only assume you don't know much about your own country's history. We almost lost that one. It was a scary time, with no good news anywhere.We are now at a stage in our country's history where there are no massive engagements such as World War 2, in which every family knew others in military service. When I was a little kid, almost every family on my street had a blue star service flag displayed in the window, and often a gold star flag indicating the death of someone in service. The war was emotionally close for a lot of people.The country hasn't been that way for a long, long time. I therefore assume that the bored reviewers are (1) young and have not experienced a time of genuine national emergency in which everyone was expected to sacrifice, and did; (2) are too conditioned by the way most recent films (which I see as boring) are presented; and (3) don't see that the story is everything. Luckily, these guys are in the minority. I just hope they don't reproduce.

screenman Big John Wayne gets second-billing to Robert Montgomery in this early stage of his career. There's no particularly dominant theme other than that things are going pear-shaped.It's life in the Pacific theatre during WW2. American forces are going about their jobs and facing the apparently unstoppable juggernaut of Imperial Japan after it more-or-less rolled-up the British like a cheap carpet. Now it's the Yanks turn. This is not a full in-yer-face set-piece war movie, but rather about the gradual disintegration of mounting reversals largely out of view, and how they impact upon people at a local level. It's very personal. Relationships feature as much as conflict. The vagaries of war are brought into sudden and sharp focus by local attacks and the immediacy of death. Retreat becomes fractious and confused. Not everyone is gonna get away.Most of the action turns around a squad of American PT boats. And here the movie excels in its depiction of these splendid vessels powering through the seas. There's some really nice sequences and it's well worth a watch for PT boat fans. We get to see "I shall return" General McArthur doing a runner with surprising egg-suck frankness, considering how America never liked to advertise its military failures.Acting is believable by all concerned. Editing & other technical issues are all of the standard that gave John Ford his reputation. It's a long movie at over 130mins, but seldom drags on account of its good mix of action and story. Filmed in B&W.I'm surprised this work doesn't feature more highly in popularity lists. It's got a helluva lot going for it in an understated, almost British-like stiff-upper-lip way.

tavm After so many years of reading about this fictionalized filmed account of the events of American sailors dealing with the invasion of Japanese forces in the Phillipine peninsula, I finally watched They Were Expendable on VHS today. With John Ford as director, we see a fine drama of the struggles after Pearl Harbor of the Navy men trying to stay one step ahead of what they referred to as the Japs during their maritime missions of battle. Robert Montgomery and John Wayne play the superior officers put in charge of many young men not quite trained for the enemy attacks though they pull ahead with their best foot forward, anyway. While quite serious, there are some subtle humorous touches not to mention a slightly touching romance between Wayne and Donna Reed as a nurse that effectively pulls at the heartstrings down to hearing Ward Bond and many of his shipmates sing in accompaniment while Ms. Reed, Wayne, and many of the officers have a quiet dinner in a tent. In fact, part of the time, I couldn't help thinking of a similar scene in my favorite movie-It's a Wonderful Life-when Bond also accompanied with Frank Faylen on the song "I Love You Truly" as Ms. Reed and Jimmy Stewart were kissing on their honeymoon! And the battle scenes were some of the most exciting at the time. So on that note, They Were Expendable comes highly recommended.