Lots of characters and dames. Not much to say, it's diverting for those who like military films. I liked the bookworm as usual, he's probably a stand-in for screenwriter Leon Uris himself.
A strange thought occurred to me during the film - this sort of patriotic stuff was the fodder that fed the young Americans who volunteered for the Marines knowing that they'd be sent to Vietnam. I was thinking about their later disillusionment and how films such as this might have contributed to it. Americans were always the good guys - always proud and squared away. Of course it was never true, not in 1965, not in 1955, and not in 1945. As Karl Marlantes said, maybe it would be a good idea to admit that we're not always the good guys. That war is bad, no matter what side you're on.
Anyway a fun film, and I really liked Aldo Ray with a humorous and yes even a gentle side.
A strange thought occurred to me during the film - this sort of patriotic stuff was the fodder that fed the young Americans who volunteered for the Marines knowing that they'd be sent to Vietnam. I was thinking about their later disillusionment and how films such as this might have contributed to it. Americans were always the good guys - always proud and squared away. Of course it was never true, not in 1965, not in 1955, and not in 1945. As Karl Marlantes said, maybe it would be a good idea to admit that we're not always the good guys. That war is bad, no matter what side you're on.
Anyway a fun film, and I really liked Aldo Ray with a humorous and yes even a gentle side.