dartleyk an old idea done better in many other movies, i.e opposing sides find themselves in the same boat and fight and wonder why; odd part if the several misplaced performances; start with sinatra doing the typical club singer vegas performance except in uniform in the south pacific; follow that with the most bizarre- tommy sands, then a teen idol singer (oh, and sinatra's son in law) who was a little person with a little voice somehow not realizing what a fool he was acting by pretending to be a big tough marine booming out orders; it's just laughable; anyway, the best version of this is lee marvin in hell in the pacific; still a war movie but thoughtful, interestingly shot

oldskibum2 Just caught this one again recently. It's difficult to write an honest, objective review of a movie that's this bad. Hard to believe that anyone remotely connected to the military had anything to do with the script or direction of this turkey. Ever war movie cliché ever uttered turns up here somewhere. Hard to decide if Tommy Sands' performance as the hard-as-nails rookie lieutenant is howlingly funny or just outrageously bad. This is Hollywood's version of war. It's watchable only if you don't mind being clubbed over the head with the "message" every few minutes (that being "why can't we all just get along?") As a lifelong fan of Sinatra, I'm hugely disappointed.

rooprect Some people choose to see war as good vs. evil. Perhaps at a macroscopic or ideological level, it can be seen that way. But on a human level, eye-to-eye with the enemy, everything changes. That is why, in boot camp, the first thing a recruit learns is to de-humanize the enemy, or worse, to hate the person in his target sights. This is a powerful film which explores what happens when soldiers dare to meet their targets face to face and re-humanize them.Set on a remote, uncharted isle in the pacific, two enemy platoons find themselves marooned with no connection to the war. They fight, with heavy casualties on both sides, but due to the close quarters, it's inevitable that they would come to see each other as human beings & neighbours. That's as much as I'll say because the rest is for you to discover.This is not a WWII film. There are no politics mentioned, and aside from the uniforms it could be about any two warring nations--India & Pakistan, Israel & Palestine, 18th century France & England--and the script would basically remain the same. The message of the film is absolute.Frank Sinatra made his first, and I think his only, directing effort here, and I thought it was spectacular. Like many of his films it has a somewhat playful delivery, but when the moment calls for gravity, we get it as heavy as a sack of bricks. The "amputation scene" is a great example. Done entirely without music, wide camera so we can see everyone's tension (down to the Buddhist priest chanting quietly in the background), and perhaps the sweatiest scene of Sinatra's career.If you like this kind of challenging war movie which dares to show both sides of the coin, I also recommend "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" (set in a Japanese POW camp), "The Young Lions" (starring Marlon Brando as a Nazi soldier with a heart), "Das Boot" (a boot full of Nazis with hearts) or my favourite, a great Korean war-comedy-drama called "Welcome to Dongmakgol".

SgtSlaughter When you get right down to it, war is a pointless human endeavor. All it causes is death and destruction. When we use war to achieve a right event (such as the defeat of Nazism in World War II), it was often avoidable had some other peaceful action been taken earlier. Proper, humane treatment of Germany after World War I may have prevented the outbreak of World War II. "None But the Brave" is an earnest attempt to show that the differences between men in war can often be settled peacefully, and working together for mutual survival often assures peace and serenity.The plot of the movie is rather straightforward. A plane carrying about a dozen American soldiers crashes on a small Pacific atoll, where the remnants of a Japanese garrison have been all but forgotten by their superiors. About equal in numbers, the two opposing parties attempt to fight it out, but then realize the hopelessness of confrontation, and instead form a peace in order to share fresh water, food, and medical supplies.The two leads, Clint Walker ("The Dirty Dozen") and Tatsuya Mihashi ("Tora! Tora! Tora!") both shine in their roles. The two men are parallels: both have a sense of patriotism and devotion to their nation and the men under their command, yet both are humanists who see no point in destruction. During the truce, the two form a true friendship, coming to understand their respective backgrounds and personal life stories with respect and admiration for each other.The supporting cast is generally filled with clichéd, familiar characters (a tough sergeant, a grizzled corporal, some inexperienced grunts, etc.), but the story really isn't about them. Tommy Sands ("The Longest Day") plays a green lieutenant out for blood, and his acting is far over the top. There's a story behind this, and it's unfortunate that his delivery strongly distracts from the story. Frank Sinatra has little to do, as he was busy in the director's chair, but there is a great extended scene revolving around a leg amputation where his limited dialog and great facial expressions more than deliver the goods. When Sinatra had substantial screen time, he used it well, but unfortunately he didn't give himself enough to do and his character is basically a waste of energy.Director of Photography Harold Lipstein ("Hell is for Heroes") does a fantastic job with the Pacific locations. The steamy tropical jungle truly comes alive, especially during a fabulous scene in which a monsoon sweeps over the island. Sinatra's direction lacks flair, and most of the action sequences are straightforward and bland. The firefight revolving around a Japanese boat is also grim and gritty; and the final confrontation between the Japanese and Americans really delivers, mostly because of the blatant anti-war message which comes about 30 seconds after the shooting stops.The movie features a rather boring score by John Williams (who was just starting to break into writing film scores in 1965; most of his work had been in television prior to this film). Eiji Tsuburaya (of "Godzilla") fame supervised the special effects work, and unfortunately, I have always found his work below-par when compared to some of the innovations Hollywood could afford during this period. There's a scene in which two model planes on strings blast away at each other in the same manner toy airplanes fired rockets at monsters as they attacked Tokyo. I can understand the Japanese cast and crew, since this was a joint production, but someone else should have been running the special effects department.These are just minor nitpicks. Sinatra does a very good job directing this film and he has taken far too much criticism from other reviewers. The statements made in this film are bold and honest, and there are many moving moments. The final act is a brilliant exercise depicting the waste and futility of war. If everyone could not only watch, but understand the philosophy portrayed in this movie, perhaps the world would be a more peaceful place.