ThiefHott Too much of everything

Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

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

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

ronarimes The majority of WW2 films are corny, sanitized and sickeningly trite. This is one of the most realistic I've seen. Great acting and study of characters that make for an engrossing film. Having watched and read both film and book 'Unbroken', I felt it portrayed the storming of the island as described by the eye witnesses of the time. Some of the scenes with the Japanese prisoners were less believable but it deserves a much higher rating than shown.

Spikeopath U.S. Marines battle to take control of a Japanese held island in the Pacific…Directed by Lewis Milestone, Halls of Montezuma is unabashed in its flag waving paean to the U.S. Marines. With a strong ensemble cast to act out the play, Milestone inter-cuts real war footage with skilled recreations of the guts and glory mission undertaken by the men.Film is very keen to let us know what sort of men are fighting this war, keeping the characterisations intimate, it's a roll call of the brave, the stupid, the scared and the insane. Flashbacks help fill in the gaps of the men's psychological make ups, and the futility of war message is deftly handled by the astute director.Colour photography is glossy and impressive, even if it strips away some of the grittiness the story needs to thrive on, and the musical score is kept to a minimum and suitably deals in plays on army anthems. All told it's a thoroughly engrossing and potent war movie and highly recommended to fans of such fare. 7.5/10

2nd_Ekkard One of the rare american war movies with a certain sense ofreality: Richard Widmark as a platoon leader conquering thepacific island of okinawa. From the long waiting time before theattack on the battleship, to the landing operation on the shores ofokinawa, to the painful losses of his men, we follow these seriouslooking americans. Their faces seem motionless and two of theofficers, including Widmark, have psychosomatic war syndroms.The killing is no fun in this movie, the dying is no fun to watch. All inall, not very entertaining, but a lesson in war, much more realisticthan later US-movies on the same topic.

zep89 I first saw "Halls of Montezuma" on television when I was a kid, and even now, I think it is one of the best war films ever made. All of the actors were perfectly cast and each man gives an outstanding performance. Richard Widmark is particularly good in his role as Lt. Anderson, a tough Marine who is respected by his men, but who also has to suppress his own fear with pills. My favorite scene in the film is where the men are in their foxholes at night, listening to the taunts of the Japanese soldiers. Their faces are briefly illuminated by parachute flares floating in the sky as they talk to each other, waiting for the enemy to do something. It's one of the most realistic scenes I have ever seen in a war film. I think this was one of the first post-WWII films that actually portrayed Japanese soldiers as real human beings, not just simple-minded brutes. You can see some similarities with the combat scenes of "All Quiet on the Western Front", which Lewis Milestone directed 20 years earlier. Anyone who is interested in WWII films should also check out "A Walk in the Sun", another excellent war film directed by Milestone. Simply put, "Halls of Montezuma" is an excellent war film that is underrated by most critics. It should not be missed.