1965's None But The Brave is just a strange movie to me. It's really hard to explain why, but that won't stop me from trying! I mean, to start, the whole thing is produced, *directed*, and stars, in a somewhat secondary role, old blue-eyes himself, Frank Sinatra. Not exactly what you'd expect, right? Well it just gets better.

We find a band of Japanese soldiers, stranded on a remote island (like there's any other kind?) in the South Pacific. Early on, we get a glimpse into the mindset of their commander, Lt. Kuroki (Tatsuya Mihashi), in a somewhat sympathetic light, as he deals with his men and the gung-ho style of his second, Sgt. Tamura (Takeshi Katoo).

Before the epic The Big Red One, director Samuel Fuller created another war picture, The Steel Helmet. "Helmet" was a film about the Korean War, made right smack in the middle of the war, and in it, he pulls no punches on a lot of subjects.

However, the execution leaves quite a bit to be desired. I did enjoy the film, but a lot of aspects of it just left me going, "Oh, brother!"

Continuing in the vein of "films that have some relevance in real life..." we've got 1957's The One That Got Away. It's the "true" story of one Franz Von Werra (Hardy Kruger), a German pilot shot down over England, taken prisoner, and who finally escapes and makes it back to Germany to continue the war, the only man to pull off that feat.

Holy short guys with guns, Batman!! How did I miss this news!! Caramba! Check out the trailer, BEFORE you read the lamenting article below... Then read the review over at IMDB. Mixed reactions? Sure, but it looks like it could be good.



Link: Cannes Market Flash: Uwe Boll’s Vietnam Epic | SpoutBlog
Link: (IMDB) Tunnel Rats (2008)

As is usually the case for a Memorial Day Weekend, several cable/satellite networks will be chock full of classic war movies this coming weekend. Namely Turner Classic Movies, Fox Movie Channel, and AMC. I'm sure there are many more but these are "The Big Three."

Here's what I've found out (all times US/Eastern). I've included links to reviews here at War Movie Blog for the movies I've seen.... Looks like a full weekend. Unfortunately it looks like (yet again) TNT will not be doing their 'Saving Private Ryan' showing.... Tsk. Click Through for the full list.

From the British comes the incredible Morning Departure, a movie that very nearly didn't get released. The movie deals with the accidental sinking of the fictional submarine, the HMS Trojan. Prior to its scheduled release, a similar situation actually occurred, as the submarine HMS Truculent sank in the river Thames, killing 64 people. The titles of this picture actually declare it as a tribute to those men, and to the ship itself.

In Morning Departure, we get a glimpse into the business of peace-time, a fact that isn't lost on many of the crew and officer corps. Little of that matters, though, as the routine business of training missions soon takes a turn for the worse, as the Trojan finds herself up against a wayward leftover mine.

The Fighting Sullivans documents the tragic loss of the five Sullivan brothers, who died while serving together on the USS Juneau in the Solomon Islands. This story served as an inspiration for Saving Private Ryan, and it is as relevant and painful a story today as it was then.

Although the film itself is not at all what I expected it to be. We find ourselves "getting to know" the Sullivan boys, from their christenings, on up through the years and their various (mis)adventures. Instead of a typical "war movie", we get a sort of biography. Not that its a bad thing, the majority of the film is as heart-warming, funny, and true-to-life for most people as you can get.