Paratroop Command (1959) User Reviews

Routine B War Picture

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 23 February 2009]

In the short running time of 71 minutes Paratroop Command follows a small group of soldiers participating in landing in North Africa, Sicily, and Salerno which in actual time was about a year and a half. One of them, Richard Bakalyn accidentally kills one of his comrades in friendly fire and can't quite win the trust of the other men, including his lieutenant Ken Lynch.

Not that the incident was his fault, it wasn't. In fact it was a rather stupid way for the other guy to get killed if you watch the movie. Still Bakalyn just can't get the others to trust him.

Directing Paratroop Command is William Witney who was one of Herbert J. Yates's best B western directors. He directed films with all of Republic's western stars. His grind them out style honed with years working for Yates shows in Paratroop Command.

Nothing terribly special here, just some veteran movie makers doing their thing.

Unfriendly Fire

[richardchatten · 5/10 · 25 May 2020]

One of the perks of a wartime tour of duty in Italy seems to have been stumbling upon local signorinas skinny dipping - since it happens again here - and meeting foxy nurses like Patricia Huston.

Slickly directed on what is obviously a reasonable budget for once by Tarantino's idol William Witney (although any footage of paratroopers actually jumping is inevitably stock footage), the cast is led by veterans Richard Bakalyan ('Chinatown') and Ken Lynch ('North by Northwest') in what feels strongly like a TV production whenever the action transfers to the soundstage.

Bakalyan's good, film is less so

[frankfob · 4/10 · 26 January 2009]

It's good to see veteran character actor Richard Bakalyan in pretty much anything, and he gets to show his stuff in this low-budget WW II "epic" from American-International and action specialist William Witney. Ken Lynch, a familiar face who specialized in playing tough cops and soldiers, is also quite good as an officer who leads his squad of paratroopers in a jump behind enemy lines. Unfortunately, the film itself isn't up to the talents of Bakalyan, Lynch or Witney. The supporting performances range from sub-par to embarrassing--not particularly surprising considering the hack script by producer Stan Shpetner--and the action scenes are poorly handled by the usually reliable Witney. The film is worth a look if you're a Dick Bakalyan fan, but otherwise there's not much else to recommend it.

Disappointing AIP programmer

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 11 February 2018]

PARATROOP COMMAND is a disappointing WW2 movie from the guys at AIP. It was shot in California standing in for various European theatres of war. The main character accidentally shoots one of his own men in a tragic accident, leading to much antagonism in future campaigns as he tries to overcome the hatred of his men. This one goes for a psychological approach but doesn't really hit home and the unknown cast members fail to make much of an impression. There's a bit of stock war footage here and there but this is mostly a bit of a bore.

Better than I expected.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 12 November 2021]

"Paratroop Command" is not a typical sort of war film. It's from the ultra-cheap studio, American International Pictures. And, it's not really about a company or squad of men...more the story of one hard luck soldier during WWII.

When the story begins, Charlie (Richard Bakalyan) shoots a member of his own company....though it really isn't his fault. After all, the dead guy was dressed as a German soldier and was waving his fun about as if he was going to shoot Charlie's fellow soldiers! But one member of the company hounds Charlie...telling him that he murdered this man! And, through the course of the film, Charlie works had to overcome this distinction.

Despite the film being cheap and obviously filmed in California instead of North Africa and Italy, the story itself is sound and works because of it. While not a brilliant film by any means, it's a good example of a cheap movie done right.

A thrill-packed action story? Is M-G-M kidding?

[JohnHowardReid · 3/10 · 31 October 2012]

"M-G-M Presents a Thrill-Packed Action Story of World War 2" is the main heading in M-G-M's campaign book for this "B" feature of virtually no distinction whatever. True, the direction is slightly more stylish than William Witney's usual humble standard, and gorgeous Carolyn Hughes is in the movie, but her footage is brief. The other players are no more than adequate -- and often less! Characters are one-dimensional, and the plot is really nothing more than a wearying series of skirmishes and shoot-outs, interspersed with some equally tedious dialogue of the "Let me tell you the story of my life" school. Credits are no more than routine, production values are tight, but there is a generous amount of obvious stock footage.

Well above average, low-buck war flick

[amedec4 · 7/10 · 12 January 2000]

Charlie (Bakalyan) joins the paratroops because he has failed at everything else in his life. When he accidently kills another GI, things really take a turn down. The cast of relative unknowns does a fine job, and Bakalyan shows flashes of brilliant acting ability that thus far have gone undiscovered. This one is low-buck all the way, puts stock war footage to good use, but well worth catching on the late show.

Interminable battle scene

[Marlburian · 4/10 · 9 January 2021]

This film was screened on Sony Movies Action the other evening, so I recorded it. I gave up after 15 minutes (so I missed the skinny-dipping scene mentioned by another reviewer). The battle scene (actually just a skirmish) went on and on, and it was difficult to distinguish who was who, not helped by none of the actors being familiar.

The redemption of Pvt. Charlie

[sol1218 · 6/10 · 8 June 2009]

***SPOILERS*** Charlie, Richard Bakalyn, has always been a screw up for as long as he could remember. Having and losing as many jobs as fingers and toes on his hands and feet Charlie was also married and divorced twice before he was even old enough to either vote as well as drink and smoke.

Joining the US Army after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor Charlie hoped to do something right for a change and serve his country with honor. This turned out to be a total nightmare where, as a US paratrooper, he was dropped behind enemy lines in Tunisia with his fellow GI's. Falling behind Charlie spotted what looked like a German holding his fellow paratroopers at bay and opened fire killing him. As it turned out Charlie screwed up again shooting US Army paratrooper Cowboy, James Beck. Cowboy had donned a dead German solider's uniform and had helped storm a pillbox that the Germans were strafing the advancing US troops!

The tragic killing of Cowboy haunted Charlie all throughout the North African as well as Sicilian campaigns. Charlie not only had to deal with killing, because mistaken identity, a fellow GI but the men in his unit who hated him like poison. Despite him Desperately wanting to redeem himself Charlie was purposely left out in any action that his unit was in making him look more like a deadbeat then, which many of the men in his unit eventually became, dead man. Finally during the fierce fighting at Salerno on the tip of the "Italian Boot" Charlie finally got his chance to prove himself. Again , like in Tunisia and Sicily, Pvt. Charlie's unit was dropped behind enemy lines to prevent the German Panzers from wiping out the some 40,000 GI's fighting for their lives on the Salerno beaches.

***SPOILERS*** With almost his entire unit wiped out by German machine-gun and motor fire Charlie took it upon himself to clear the way, by clearing a German minefield, for the trapped forces of the US 5th Army to get to safe ground and away, by being hopelessly boxed in on the Salerno beaches, from the impending and fatal German counter-attack. Risking his life and losing it Charlie finally did something right finishing a job that he started. Something he was never able to do his entire life. But in this case the job that he finished was not only beneficial to Charlie but to the thousands of GI's whose lives he eventually saved as well as to the course of the US, and its allies, efforts in winning the war in Europe.

What theater of war is the opening, really? While paratroops were used in North Africa they sure didn't chute into Southern California terrain

[tryacinth · 4/10 · 8 October 2019]

Meh. Way too unrealistic except for most of the uniforms..

Good low-budget war-fare

[bux · 10/10 · 19 June 1999]

A young soldier (Bakalyan) feels he is jinxed...can never do anything right.....fellow soldiers agree with him, and persecute him in combat. Good low-budget war flick, featuring "unknown" cast. Of course our anti-hero redeems himself in the bullet laden conclusion.

Low reviews are from perfectionists

[timmycav73 · 28 December 2021]

This is the type of b movie you would love when you were a kid . Soldiers just shooting at each other a lot 😂😂. If Quentin terrantino thinks it's great then what do those other reviewers know?