alexanderdavies-99382 This film deserves a much higher rating than what it has as it portrays war on a much more realistic footing. The soldier characters aren't depicted as being "he-man" types or as being more brave than the average person. They are simply put into a grave situation where they have to learn to kill the enemy and to endure all kinds of horrors along the way. "The Fighting 69th" is such a film and more. James Cagney plays an Irish street brawler who joins the war during 1917, along with many other men. They all form the 69th legion which has a reputation for producing some of the finest soldiers in the American army. Cagney proves to be a less than ideal soldier, via being insubordinate, arrogant and also a coward. Pat O' Brien as the priest who is posted with the 69th, offers Cagney some much needed guidance so that he may find his courage. We are spared nothing when it comes to the horrors of war as young men scream in agonising pain before their lives are snuffed out and others who bravely fight regardless. The writing is of a high calibre, so is the acting. Cagney is a bit different here as it wasn't often that he would retreat from a fight or convict of any sort. In the above film, he makes it apparent how much of a coward he is and tries more than once to run away from the German enemy. "The Fighting 69th" is a masterpiece from "Warner Bros."

praxistens848 Street tough Jerry Plunkett never ducks a fight until the shooting starts & in the trenches in France is responsible for the deaths of several of his comrades (by foolishly setting off a flare that draws enemy fire), including the brothers of Sgt. "Big Mike" Wynn (Alan Hale) & Joyce Kilmer (Jeffrey Lynn). CO "Wild Bill" Donovan (George Brent) has Plunkett court-martialed, & he is due to be executed.During intense shelling of the bivouac, Father Duffy (Pat O'Brien) releases Plunkett from confinement & counsels him about the two roads he can take: escape or back into the fray. Plunkett rescues Fr. Duffy from beneath some fallen timbers & takes off for the front, where he hooks up with a wounded Big Mike.Cagney's Plunkett is fictional, but there are several real-life 69th soldiers represented: Fr. Duffy, Joyce Kilmer, & Maj. Donovan. Lotsa big screen stars of the day: Brent, Hale, John Litel, Frank McHugh, Dennis Morgan, O'Brien. Movie also features off-screen friends Frank Wilcox (Mr. Brewster in the early episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies) & future "Superman" George Reeves.

gazzo-2 This is a fine movie for what it is-flag-waving, Irish-centered recruiting patriotic stuff. Cagney is a Brooklyn thug, cocky big-talker who makes life miserable for everyone around him in the unit, turns into a coward as soon's the shell's start falling around them in the trenches, is almost court-martialed (shot most likely), saves the day at the front but loses his life in the process of redemption.That's about it, really. You will see familiar faces all around-Dick Foran, Alan Hale Sr., Frank MacHugh, George Brent, etc. I was surprised at the inclusion of Joyce Kilmer-the Trees poet, never knew he was a WWI casualty etc.Some of the combat scenes are typically stage-bound, the players are too fat and old (Hale and MacHugh esp.), or walk where they should be kissing the ground etc under fire-but in other places-the constant shelling, machine gun fire, etc--the chaos and violent death of WWI France is displayed fairly well. Esp. for 1940 Hollywood before we had yet gone to war for real.Cagney's good, rest are okay, as some have said it's 'Angels w/ Dirty Faces' re-hased yet again, O'Brien esp. makes you roll your eyes somewhat.*** outta **** if you are a Cagney fan.

slymusic "The Fighting 69th" is one of the most powerful motion picture dramas of war I have ever seen. Boasting a first-rate cast and an inspiring screenplay, it concerns the famously nicknamed Fighting 69th regiment of mostly New York Irishmen facing the travail and terror of the First World War. (If you have not yet seen this film, please DO NOT read the rest of this commentary.) The great James Cagney stars as Pvt. Jerry Plunkett, a tough-talking wiseacre of a soldier having absolutely no idea how seriously he lacks courage and bravery.....that is, until it becomes time for him to engage in battle overseas! Pat O'Brien is superlative as the 69th's brave, humble chaplain Father Francis P. Duffy (based on the real-life chaplain of the same name, to whom this motion picture is dedicated). Despite Plunkett's disdainful behavior - he makes menaces of his immediate superiors Sgt. "Big Mike" Wynn (Alan Hale) and Major "Wild Bill" Donovan (George Brent) - Father Duffy befriends Plunkett and looks beyond Wynn's & Donovan's dislike for the young braggart soldier. Plunkett becomes a severely tough pupil, but through the patience and encouragement of Father Duffy, he eventually comes to recognize the importance of faith and prayer. In the end, Plunkett becomes a hero and dies in a gesture of bravery and patriotism.The following are my favorite scenes from "The Fighting 69th". Before the fighting Irishers travel overseas, Father Duffy offers a humble petition to God inside his tent. Sgt. "Big Mike" Wynn harasses the slumbering Jerry Plunkett by literally dragging his underwear-donning carcass out of bed & out of the tent, and splashing a bowl of water in his face. After the wild free-for-all between the 69th and the 4th Alabama Infantry, the stern Major Donovan explains to the rioters the importance of all American armies fighting together as ONE NATION; especially at a time like this, there is absolutely no room for sectional feuds. Jerry and Big Mike engage in a fistfight (which Jerry has essentially been asking for all along), after which Jerry covers for Big Mike by claiming it was only an exhibition! During the final battle, Jerry tells Big Mike to shut his big Irish yap and show him how to use a Stokes mortar so that he can cut through enemy barbed wire and save the day for the 69th. And finally, the most climactic moment of all: Father Duffy recites the Lord's Prayer with a group of wounded soldiers, when who should join in the prayer but the intransigent Jerry Plunkett, now a much wiser human being; as he dashes out to lend a hand to the remaining 69th men on the battleground, Father Duffy almost has a tear in his eye as he softly recites the parable of the lost sheep."The Fighting 69th" is quite an outstanding motion picture. In the end, Major Donovan and Sgt. Wynn come to have respect and pride for the slain tough-talking blowhard who they originally believed was a coward.