I have seen practically every film Jimmy Stewart made in his long and wonderful career. Somehow or other, I never saw this film and was surprised to see it was coming on--especially as I've never heard of it. Well, after seeing it, I can clearly see why this film is rarely seen or talked about, as it stinks.
Up until the amazingly confusing ending, it still wasn't a good film but at least was passable entertainment. Stewart plays a major who's in charge of a small group of demolitions experts whose mission is to slow down the Japanese invasion. Despite the importance of the mission, I was surprised how many of Stewart's men seemed like unprofessional whiners. I would think that anyone who really did this job would be offended by this far less than heroic image--and these men must have been very brave and dedicated in real life.
Into this motley crew comes a Chinese colonel and the wife of an executed Chinese general--who tag along for part of the mission. Having the lady there in the middle of war and with a group of desperate men seemed to make little sense. It made even less sense when inexplicably, she and Stewart completely out of the blue are in a bit of a romance. And it made yet less sense when she behaved the way she did late in the film, as she came off as sanctimonious and confusing. Stewart's character also made little sense late in the film, as he went from being a decent leader to Captain Ahab's less stable brother!! In fact, by the end of the film, the whole thing just degenerated into a mess--with everyone bickering and killing and complaining. Wow, how inspiring!! My advice is that unless you are a completist who wants to see every one of Stewart's films, this one is amazingly skip-able. Also in this same category would be POT 'O GOLD, THE MAGIC OF LASSIE and AN American TALE: FIVEL GOES WEST. Even great actors can't win 'em all!
Up until the amazingly confusing ending, it still wasn't a good film but at least was passable entertainment. Stewart plays a major who's in charge of a small group of demolitions experts whose mission is to slow down the Japanese invasion. Despite the importance of the mission, I was surprised how many of Stewart's men seemed like unprofessional whiners. I would think that anyone who really did this job would be offended by this far less than heroic image--and these men must have been very brave and dedicated in real life.
Into this motley crew comes a Chinese colonel and the wife of an executed Chinese general--who tag along for part of the mission. Having the lady there in the middle of war and with a group of desperate men seemed to make little sense. It made even less sense when inexplicably, she and Stewart completely out of the blue are in a bit of a romance. And it made yet less sense when she behaved the way she did late in the film, as she came off as sanctimonious and confusing. Stewart's character also made little sense late in the film, as he went from being a decent leader to Captain Ahab's less stable brother!! In fact, by the end of the film, the whole thing just degenerated into a mess--with everyone bickering and killing and complaining. Wow, how inspiring!! My advice is that unless you are a completist who wants to see every one of Stewart's films, this one is amazingly skip-able. Also in this same category would be POT 'O GOLD, THE MAGIC OF LASSIE and AN American TALE: FIVEL GOES WEST. Even great actors can't win 'em all!