A Realistic Portrayal of WWII Pacific Combat

Sergeant Stryker (John Wayne) must prepare his men for combat. He does! He subjects his men to rough bayonet drills and other forms of combat.

Many modern war movies are sanitized of the realities of war. Not this one! There are numerous scenes of soldiers suffering and dying. There is a scene where a Jewish soldier says his last prayers in Hebrew. There is no happy ending for Sergeant Stryker himself.

The viewer sees the progression of the US island-hopping campaign. The islands of Tarawa and Iwo Jima are seized from the Japanese. In each case, there first is the "softening" of Japanese positions by massive bombing by airplanes and shelling from battleships. Then comes the invasion by amphibious craft. The US soldiers are under constant fire. They must crawl from one hiding place to another in their advance against Japanese positions. The Japanese have a habit of jumping out of their hiding places in caves and attacking unsuspecting Americans from behind. The entrenched Japanese have to be driven out by bazookas and flame throwers. Some of the latter are hand-held, whereas others are tank-mounted. Old-fashioned field phones are used for communication.

This old movie includes actual combat footage!

War is Hell

John Wayne is at his best as Sargeant Striker, the veteran Marine who must whip his young marines into a fighting unit. The tough wayne never lets up and is the leader to the end. One of the few films that Wayne dies in. A strong cast and story that takes you into the life of a WWII marine. This one made Wayne a star. Must see.

TorpanInternational

John Wayne gave the portayal of that type of soldier from all over the world ,giving his full all against tyrany in WW2.All the cast potrayed human sides of characters with the same objective.The film is a credit to ,also ,the behind the scenes crew producing it.

It is one I could see many times again.10 out of 10 or 5 stars.