Leofwine_draca THE FIGHTING SEABEES is a standard WW2 propaganda film featuring John Wayne in a typically gruff role as a leader of men. It's an example of routine wartime heroics that follows the adventures of one of the Construction Battalions that toured the Pacific islands, helping to build bases and providing aid to the soldiers and pilots using the area.The film is briskly plotted and follows all of the usual routines, with a little romance and characterisation of the main characters and plenty of action for the ground-level troops. Wayne is his usual likable hero although he doesn't get as much screen time to swagger this time around due to the amount of supporting characters. The best part of the film is the climactic battle, as violent and explosive as it is.

GeoPierpont Has there ever been a film about the SeeBees? I had heard the term but was unaware of their contribution. Hence, I thank the war propaganda movement for this education.I assume that each branch and sub division were happy to merit film representation and exhibit capability, challenge, and bravery. Since I have limited experience with WWII, military channel primarily, I found this film watchable and suspenseful enough to captivate.The most shocking moment was not war related but the Duke doing the jitterbug with slick adroitness! How they managed to complement his image as the proverbial tough guy is beyond me, but perhaps he was delighted to get the heck outta Dodge with his typical character.Overall recommend for appreciating this group of brave men!

timgrimes A fine John Wayne movie and no WWII movie collector should be without it. This movie's great patriotic musical score is also a fine example of strong & very well-written harmonies for male chorus; the score sounds like the U.S. Navy Band's men's chorus (an astounding group of music professionals by the way) and is a dramatic performance that supports this very positive story of the Seabees. With some added drama along the way, this movie demonstrates some of the work done by the SeaBees - building facilities & runways on remote islands during WWII; massive runway construction with PSP grid materials, bulldozing, & hut construction, which were all representative of the basics that needed accomplishing during this campaign. This was a refreshing viewing experience in that the then media was supportive of the American fighting man, and while this may make some in today's culture wince, that's their problem. Today's warriors and sailors are just as honorable & deserving of the kind of support that surrounds this kind of movie, and watching this production reminds you of that fact. Very dramatic, perhaps over-acted at times, but a great story about our fine Seabees! If you are a patriot, I believe you'll enjoy this movie.

bigdogbarkin1 I was a "Seabee" w/ MCB 4, from 1964-1970!! In basic training in Port Hueneme California, during our first week of training we were marched to the post theater, and were shown this movie. We for the most part thought it was a good movie, but thought it might have been a little overplayed as a promotional thing to peak our interests in becoming a "SeaBee!? ..Well after two full tours in Viet Nam, with my battalion! I have come to the realization. That this is one of the few Wayne war movies of the WW2 time frame that is as close to accurate as they could portray a unit of the Armed Forces! A bunch of Construction workers doing their damndest to get a job done no matter the adversity or dangers ! the only real link they had to being in the military was the fact they were wearing uniforms! they Build and Fight! and Party hard !! just as we did and as the Bees still do !!