
Basically the story of the sea battle for Okinawa between the ships of the U.S. Navy and the Japanese suicide planes---the Kamaikazes---and, as such, is filled with stock footage from official U.S. war-department films and newsreels and from Japanese newsreels..and even a movie-within-a-movie where 1948's "Ladies of the Chorus" is shown to a crew of a ship in 1944. The factual story is interlaced with a fictional one dealing with the crew of an American destroyer which is ass... (Full plot summary below)
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Basically the story of the sea battle for Okinawa between the ships of the U.S. Navy and the Japanese suicide planes---the Kamaikazes---and, as such, is filled with stock footage from official U.S. war-department films and newsreels and from Japanese newsreels..and even a movie-within-a-movie where 1948's "Ladies of the Chorus" is shown to a crew of a ship in 1944. The factual story is interlaced with a fictional one dealing with the crew of an American destroyer which is assigned to an ocean picket line around Okinawa to protect the supply ships and the forces on the island. As such, it has the usual battle-weary skipper, the Latino wise-guy, the "Kid" and the "Old Veteran", and the brash, cigar-chewing "operator" on the ship who has cornered the entire supply of the ship's beer rations.
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| Ozus' World Movie ReviewsDennis SchwartzThe film doesn't pretend to be more than a routine WW11 war film reflecting the political mood of when it was made. |
| Kansas City KansanSteve CrumHow can flag waving, the Marines, and Richard Widmark go wrong? |
| User ReviewAnna NA war movie that concentrates upon bonds formed between Marine Lieutenant, former High School chemistry teacher and 7 men of his original Platoon. A tense drama that hinges on the Battalion that has only 24 hours to find the location of the Japanese rockets that will decimate all marines who have to attack. Character development is excellent and the Lewis Milestone touch is evident in this stirring drama of Pacific war. |
| User ReviewAlex rRelax. It 's not video game. War is hell. |
| User ReviewPaul DIt's not just an excuse to play the song over the title music, as a warfilm it is solid. |
| User ReviewJon ADistinctly average movie filled with cliched characters that walks a thin line between square-jawed heroics and war-weary endurance. |
| User ReviewRandy THalls of Montezuma is not a bad movie, It has the great thrilling war tactics and smart dialogue, it's a movie that maybe plays to safe, just a ordinary unoriginal war picture, but a good attempt. A bitter-sweet film, that somewhat satisfying from time to time. It doesn't offer us any new, except the confused Lt. Carl Anderson (Richard Widmark) who's very often takes painkillers before he goes into battle. Halls of Montezuma was directed by Lewis Milestone, the director who gave us the legendary war epic All Quiet on the Western Front disappoint in a gerne that he seems to be good in. |
| User ReviewxGary XLewis Milestone made some great war films, but this WWII drama about a marine platoon commanded by Richard Widmark doesn't measure up to his best. The action is all smoke and noise, with little pause for any character development and the supporting cast overact their badly melodramatic, overly stereotypical roles to a rather cringeworthy degree (Jack Palance's performance in Batman is comparatively understated compared to this!) The technique of using flashbacks to contrast the soldier's pre-war lives is also clumsy, and Widmark too often looks more like a social worker dishing out Werther's originals than a battle hardened lieutenant. The lack of humanity in the script is highlighted particularly in a scene where a tank sprays napalm on Japanese positions with no thought or mention of it's victims, as the marines look on cheerfully as if they're watching a sunday afternoon barbecue. It does have moments; particularly in the scenes involving the Japanese prisoners, but as a whole it's too simplistic and cliched. |
| User ReviewGary CLewis Milestone made some great war films, but this WWII drama about a marine platoon commanded by Richard Widmark doesn't measure up to his best. The action is all smoke and noise, with little pause for any character development and the supporting cast overact their badly melodramatic, overly stereotypical roles to a rather cringeworthy degree (Jack Palance's performance in Batman is comparatively understated compared to this!) The technique of using flashbacks to contrast the soldier's pre-war lives is also clumsy, and Widmark too often looks more like a social worker dishing out Werther's originals than a battle hardened lieutenant. The lack of humanity in the script is highlighted particularly in a scene where a tank sprays napalm on Japanese positions with no thought or mention of it's victims, as the marines look on cheerfully as if they're watching a sunday afternoon barbecue. It does have moments; particularly in the scenes involving the Japanese prisoners, but as a whole it's too simplistic and cliched. |
| User ReviewCurtis HA load of yawns that make you wonder if you're actually watching a war movie. Actors that are normally quite solid play this one like its a high school drama project. As for plot you might end the film still wondering if it has one. |