Man, I can honestly say I've just seen the most bleak, dark, depressing, demoralizing... and downright dull war movie I've seen to date....

A Walk in the Sun follows a squad of soldiers as they land on a beach in Italy, and proceed to an occupied farmhouse in a quest to blow up a bridge.  Of course since their Lieutenant's dead, it seems they have to figure that out for themselves.

Of course they have to walk to get there.  And that's about all this movie is about, walking, and talking.  There is endless talk, most of it is the kind of soliloquy and chatter that might've read well on paper, but translates into pretentious pontification on the screen.  Talk, talk, talk.  Some of the most depressing and cynical you'll hear.  It starts off that way, it ends that way.

Oh sure there are a couple of (very!) brief moments where they get shot at, and somebody dies, but then it goes right back to more of the same.  Sure that's probably part of the goal of the picture, to portray the "hurry up and wait" and "nobody knows what's happening" aspects of going to war that are faced.  But it just doesn't make for a good picture.

Add to that the cheesy and sappy "soundtrack" if you want to call it that, with some vibrato tenor singing a overly pretentious song about "a walk in the sun."  Ick.

Interestingly, it seems that in 1945, "loving" was a perfectly acceptable replacement for "f--king" where the Hayes Office is concerned.  At least in this picture.  Kind of funny in a way.  "This loving war."  "My loving gun." Etc, etc.

I went into this picture expecting a lot more from the ratings and reviews I read.  I suppose in an academic sense its a good picture with a good message, but from the outset its such a downer I recommend to spend your time elsewhere....

A Walk in the Sun is directed by "All Quiet on the Western Front" and "Halls of Montezuma" helmsman Lewis Milestone.  It's interesting to compare this picture with "Halls" as a lot of the same themes are presented, but "Halls" is just a much better picture on so many levels it isn't even comparable.

Starring are Dana Andrews, John Ireland, Lloyd Bridges, George Tyne, Huntz Hall and Richard Conte.

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