ronarimes The majority of WW2 films are corny, sanitized and sickeningly trite. This is one of the most realistic I've seen. Great acting and study of characters that make for an engrossing film. Having watched and read both film and book 'Unbroken', I felt it portrayed the storming of the island as described by the eye witnesses of the time. Some of the scenes with the Japanese prisoners were less believable but it deserves a much higher rating than shown.

Spikeopath U.S. Marines battle to take control of a Japanese held island in the Pacific…Directed by Lewis Milestone, Halls of Montezuma is unabashed in its flag waving paean to the U.S. Marines. With a strong ensemble cast to act out the play, Milestone inter-cuts real war footage with skilled recreations of the guts and glory mission undertaken by the men.Film is very keen to let us know what sort of men are fighting this war, keeping the characterisations intimate, it's a roll call of the brave, the stupid, the scared and the insane. Flashbacks help fill in the gaps of the men's psychological make ups, and the futility of war message is deftly handled by the astute director.Colour photography is glossy and impressive, even if it strips away some of the grittiness the story needs to thrive on, and the musical score is kept to a minimum and suitably deals in plays on army anthems. All told it's a thoroughly engrossing and potent war movie and highly recommended to fans of such fare. 7.5/10

Lechuguilla Arguably, it's one of the three or four best WWII movies ever made. A group of U.S. Marines race against the clock to find the source of enemy rockets that prevent them from taking control of a Japanese-held Pacific island. It's certainly a patriotic film. But there is also an undercurrent of despair, based on the human toll that war inevitably takes.These Leathernecks are tough, but they are also subject to death from enemy fire. And the screen story puts a lot of emphasis on individual characterization. I don't recall a film that did such a good job of combining scene transitions with flashbacks to help viewers understand the motivations of the main characters.Lt. Anderson (Richard Widmark) is the leader; he suffers from debilitating migraine headaches, but nevertheless pushes on to fulfill whatever dangerous mission he's assigned. One of his men is Conroy (Richard Hylton) who used to stutter, until Anderson helped cure him of it years earlier. Slattery (Bert Freed) is your typical Marine toughie, but he's got a sense of humor and conceals a portable still to make booze. Pretty Boy (Skip Homeier) is a pistol packing dude with a chip on his shoulder. Through the screen story's deep characterizations, viewers naturally become attached to these guys, and root for them as they enter into their dangerous mission. Of the dozen or so men Anderson leads, not all will make it out alive.As in other battle films, viewers learn the importance of quick decisions, teamwork, effective communication, and keen awareness of one's surroundings. Life occurs moment by moment, in the here and now. Make a plan; execute it; dodge a problem; ignore pain and fatigue; persist. These are lessons applicable to anyone at any time, not just warriors on the battlefield."Halls Of Montezuma" is a quality production all the way. The color cinematography is fine, despite the fact that some of the techniques are dated. The ensemble acting is credible. The editing and scene transitions are just terrific. And, as the film's bookends, that rousing theme song: "From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli" gets the viewer in the right frame of mind.I normally don't care for movies in this genre. Even this film, like other WWII films, is a tad too predictable, slightly manipulative, and contains some outdated assumptions. Nevertheless, as war movies go, "Halls Of Montezuma" is one of the best.

2nd_Ekkard One of the rare american war movies with a certain sense ofreality: Richard Widmark as a platoon leader conquering thepacific island of okinawa. From the long waiting time before theattack on the battleship, to the landing operation on the shores ofokinawa, to the painful losses of his men, we follow these seriouslooking americans. Their faces seem motionless and two of theofficers, including Widmark, have psychosomatic war syndroms.The killing is no fun in this movie, the dying is no fun to watch. All inall, not very entertaining, but a lesson in war, much more realisticthan later US-movies on the same topic.