Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

2hotFeature one of my absolute favorites!

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

KingBrian1 The struggle for Isreali Independence as portrayed in media, with all the old favourites playing the cast of characters. Col David Marcus former US military officer is recruited into the Israeli army to help his people build a new future in the post war era. This movie sheds light on the historic emergence of Israel as a nation among the nations of the world. The focus is primarily aimed at the Jewish/Israeli events that led to their nationhood. The character of David Marcus a proud patriot for Israeli's who build and managed the Israeli army.

Edgar Allan Pooh . . . perhaps it's best to examine it in that light. The time is 1948. America has the choice of either declaring that The Bible is "a fairy tale," as the Arab countries already have proclaimed, and becoming an Atheist Nation such as Russia, China, or France. On the other hand, the USA can recognize Israel's revival as a modern nation and the Old Testament as True History. SHADOW quotes the Saudi King of the 1940s as stating that he'd be happy to sacrifice 10 million fighters among his fellow Arabs in order to finish Adolf Hitler's Crusade to kill off all of the World's remaining Jews. In response, America festoons itself with Israel as its lapel pin. Though Kirk Douglas, representing our entire nation here, eventually succumbs to "friendly fire," in Real Life Kirk's pushing 100 years of age. If the United Nations has proved one thing--as SHADOW illustrates this at that organization's beginning--"majority rule" (sometimes called "Democracy")--is the best possible recipe for Tyranny and Oblivion, because there's always been a plurality of Ignorant, Superstitious People during every minute of Human History. The Book of Revelation has been interpreted as saying that Armageddon cannot come as long as either Peter O'Toole or Kirk Douglas (that is, "Gog & Magog") lives. Since Mr. O'Toole passed away in 2013, one can only say "Keep on Truckin,' Kirk!"

Seltzer I enjoyed Cast a Giant Shadow.Like so many films of its type, it has the obligatory love angles that only slow the film down. Angie Dickinson and Senta Berger are much better actors than their silly parts allow them to be. When Dickinson's characters says to Douglas: "Don't hate me for loving you so much," I wanted to scream. Oh, wait, I think I did scream. After that silliness, I fast-forwarded through the rest of the "love" scenes. As a result, I have no idea what happened in the last scene between Douglas and Berger; somehow I'll still be able to sleep at night.Another reviewer thinks the scene with John Wayne at the concentration camp is ridiculous and hard to believe. I actually thought it very believable and a remarkably directed and acted scene. Douglas's character has been there before. But Wayne as the general hasn't seen the camps first-hand and seems to think the stories have been exaggerated. Wayne and Douglas walk into the camp but the camera remains in a tight shot on them. So instead of showing us the scenes in the recently liberated camp, the camera shows us Wayne and Douglas's reactions to what they're seeing. It's only a short scene, but the few seconds of the look on Wayne's face register powerfully. It's subtle. He doesn't overplay it with a look of obvious horror, disgust, etc. Instead, there's a sort of confused, muffled pain in his eyes. John Wayne was a much better actor than he's usually given credit for. When Wayne turns to his right and goes over to lean on a fencepost with his head down (trying to compose himself? trying not to puke?), well, that was a powerful moment for me. There was something about seeing that tall, broad-shouldered man have to walk away, shut his eyes, and hang his head. I forgot it was John Wayne for a few minutes, and that's a big compliment to any star actor. I won't forget any part of that scene.I agree with another reviewer. Douglas' part has too many wisecracks. It gets old. Still, there are some quite funny lines in this film, and not only spoken by Douglas. My favorite is when Douglas is telling the weapons- and manpower-strapped Haganah commander and the others that they have to attack, hit the enemy hard. And Yul Brynner deadpans: "With what? Noodle soup?" Cast a Giant Shadow is not the greatest film ever made, but it's an enjoyable one. Just fast forward through the romantic scenes and you'll be okay.

zardoz-13 John Wayne's production company Batjac bankrolled this war movie about the rise of the state of Israel in 1948 when everybody thought that the Arabs would annihilate the Jews. "Houseboat" director Melville Shavelson inked and helmed this ambitious but muddled biography of World War II military hero Colonel David 'Mickey' Marcus (Kirk Douglas of "Spartacus") who served as an adviser to Franklin Roosevelt. Marcus behaves likes an insubordinate S.O.B. when he ignores the orders of his superior officer and bails out over Normandy. He carries on a love & hate relationship with a two-star American general. After the war, Marcus trades in his uniform for a lawyer's Homburg and an attache case but he is persuaded to act as an adviser to the fledging Israeli army. Yul Brynner, Frank Sinatra, Angie Dickinson, and John Wayne co-star in a war movie that has more soap opera than shooting. Mind you, it is inspirational stuff, especially when you consider the David versus Goliath predicament in which the Israelis found themselves. Shavelson's screenplay establishes the character of our protagonist as a man who would rather fight than love. The battle scenes are rather tame, but the explosions are well done. Angie Dickinson plays the wife of Colonel Marcus, while voluptuous Israeli freedom fighter Senta Berger cannot take her eyes off him after her own husband dies in the war. The prologue of the semi-fictionalized "Cast A Giant Shadow" struggles to reinforce the film's authenticity: "The major events in this film actually happened. Some of them are still happening. The major characters actually lived. Many of them are still living. Although it was not easy." Reportedly, Douglas feuded with Shavelson throughout the production. Neither Wayne's production company nor Douglas' Bryna Productions scrimped on production values. "Cast A Giant Shadow" looks well-produced with no end of extras trudging off to fight the war. Unfortunately, Shavelson doesn't conjure up much momentum. When he does get things moving, they inevitably bog down in long dialogue sessions. Nevertheless, the film presents a realistic enough view of the problems that faced an army without any ranking officers, soldiers who didn't know how to switch off the safety switches on their weapons., and an army that spoke in many different languages. Matters are not helped by a downbeat ending after the underdog Israelis construction a road out of solid stone to relieve the besieged town of Jersualem. The ending is a downer and "Cast A Giant Shadow" didn't cast a giant shadow at the box office. Composer Elmer Bernstein contributed one of his least memorable orchestral scores. Filmmaker Otto Preminger fared much better with his earlier epic "Exodus" that covered similar ground. The action was lensed on location in Israel and Rome. Douglas provides his customary bravado, but all he really does is stand around and give orders. Shavelson's direction is barely competent and only one battle sequence when Sinatra flies over an Egyptian tank column tossing home-made bombs is memorable. Naturally, John Wayne is cast as 'General Mike Randolph,' but he appears to be a composite of General George Patton and other American generals. Future "Fiddler on the Roof" star Topol steals the show as an Arab sheik.