Colibel Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Manthast Absolutely amazing

HottWwjdIam There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

sol- Based on the true story of a brigadier general who led his troops through Burma during World War II despite fatigue and starvation, 'Merrill's Marauders' might sound like a simple slice of history, but with Samuel Fuller at the helm it is more than that. Fuller apparently did not have full control over the film, and the flag-waving, sentimental ending and heavy exposition early on ensure that the film starts and ends on a weak note. The bulk of the movie is very well done though, and as per 'Verboeten!' and 'Fixed Bayonets!', the film benefits from Fuller's penchant for dialogue over action scenes in his war movies. The battle scenes are in fact quite dull with lots of explosive noises but limited bloodshed or carnage - something that actually helps the dialogue scenes stand out. Memorable bits include the soldiers discussing lost time (they can't work out whether it is 'a.m.' or 'p.m.', let alone the day of the week), the soldiers debating how much Merrill really cares about them over his objective, and Merrill reluctantly accepting orders to keep his men fighting on for longer than they had agreed without food (there is a haunting part when one soldier rushes to some parachuted supplies). The film's best asset though is probably Jeff Chandler's commanding lead performance, having to hide his character's health problems and show a strong face to his men despite having mixed feelings about the mission himself. Chandler was reportedly quite unwell during filming, which no doubt helped him carve such a realistic performance; sadly he passed away before the film was even released.

andrewglencross65 I'm not going to write a review of this remarkable film but just want to share and echo some thoughts.Yes, the bookends are awful.The(I believe 101st Airborne)on parade at the end of the film is horribly jarring with MM's gritty, malarial jungle tone--but the film remains a favourite from childhood and into my mid 40's.Jeff Chandler, for me, was never better---bit like Gregory Peck being never being better than he was as General Frank Savage in "12 o'clock High" And if THAT film was all about the USAAF's "Maxiumum Effort" THIS is the army's version of it,and Sam Fuller imbues it with the eye of the combat GI.As others have said the battle at Shaduzup is particularly affecting: claustrophobic and just plain hellish.I reckon this sequence is easily Fuller's greatest pure war movie making in the film--and just bloody unforgettable. As others have noted "Stock" walking between the concrete blocks at the battle's end is haunting.Sam Fuller who fought in North Africa/Europe might just have also made the best film about the US Army in the Asia/Pacific theatre here. A theatre of operations that popular imagination tends to be dominated by the USMC.Yeah, there's a cheesy( but appreciated)representation of the Brits in Burma, but Merrill's Marauder's is a war film that never fails to inspire, and demands a DVD release.A remake would be nice too I suppose without the "Battle Cry" footage and cobbled together music, but would it draw you in to the jungle and its ever present Japanese threat in the way that Sam Fuller did? I don't think so.Myktina, Walawbum and Shaduzup.Is it just me or are those names forever locked in your memory?.

sgoswami-1 http://tinyurl.com/6kjv2j I am from Northeastern India and am excited that the old road from Ledo in Assam(India) to Kunming in Yunnan(China) that Frank Merrill's men along with the Kachin Rangers and Vinegar Joe's Chinese army, fought for and cut out from India to China in 1942-45 via Burma, is going to come alive again!(see the blog linked above) Its a six lane highway running next to the "Stilwell Road" in China! This movie brings to a large audience a war fought by brave men in some of the most unbelievable conditions in the area of Northern Burma bordering India and China. The battle of the Marauders have other players as well notably their older British counterparts the Chindits. And not to forget Uncle Bill Slim' Fourteenth Army and the (Bruce Willis style Die Hard) bitter battles of Kohima and Imphal in Northeast India. They went on to drive the Japanese out of Burma. All these were battles in the same theater. Some other notable personalities of this war are Orde Wingate, a guerrilla warfare expert of the British Army and his American Air Commando One fleet led by the flamboyant Phil Cochran. Some of the stories of these guys are simply incredible, fighting behind enemy Japanese lines!

ccthemovieman-1 This was a decent World War II movie, but not as exciting as I had hoped it would be. I liked the fact it was exactly that - a war story - with no sappy romance distractions - but yet it was still on the bland side. I can't quite put my finger on it, but some spark was missing. If this was re-made today, I'm sure it would have been more of an attention-grabber.Perhaps part of the minor problem is that the story is a bit of a downer most of the way through (not that war is ever uplifting). It's basically about a group of soldiers who volunteered for this bad assignment (to fight in Burma) and when their assignment was over and they assumed they were going home, they were given further assignments. Battling unrelenting fatigue and extremely difficult terrain means there are very few upbeat moments in this film. In this based-on-a-true story movie, only about 100 soldiers were left fighting after 3,000 started. Yet a lot of the movie just shows the poor guys sloshing through swamps or slowing trying to make their way up treacherous mountain terrain.You get a few minor attempts at some humor to break up the depressing story, but they are weak such as the stereotypical southerner with his pet mule who wears a straw hat.In some respects, this film reminded me of "The Big Red One," which also was directed by Sam Fuller but had a lot more intensity and passion to it.Jeff Chandler and Ty Hardin were fine in the lead roles, as was Claude Atkins in a supporting one. Chandler and Atkins looked like tough, battle-scarred soldiers more than the others. Hardin has too much pretty-boy looks and voice for this role, although his acting was fine.Overall, okay, but not worth a second look.