Rating: 
Summary: Interresting War Propaganda Film.
Review: This is first and foremost a WWII Era War Prop movie. It was made when the war in the Pacific was going bad for America and the U.S. wanted to boost morale back home. Therefore expect the Americans to be Brave, Intellegent, etc. One of the interresting things to note is the positive focus on China. If you are interrested in History it is worth reviewing but this is not Pearl Harbor. Enjoyable film but not one of the must owns.Eroc
Rating: 
Summary: A guilty pleasure if you love B & W war movies!
Review: When I was very little I watched this for the first time and thought it was one of the greatest war movies ever made. Now I see it for what it is: a corny yet patriotic propaganda relic from the 1940s. It was one of Robert Mitchum's better early roles before becoming a star with his oscar-nominated performance in "The Story of G.I. Joe", and Randolph Scott does a good job as well. The movie is based on the true story of the "Gung Ho Battalion"-the 2nd Marine Raider commandos, led by Lieut. Col. Evans Carlson, who raided the Japanese base at Makin Atoll as a diversion to the U.S. landings on Guadalcanal. The movie has typical cliches of Hollywood war movies of the era, like a soldier pulling the pin from a grenade with his teeth, but this movie is very entertaining. As for picture quality when looking for this on dvd, I don't know which company offers the best picture quality. As for the best bargain, however, You cannot beat American Home Treasures "Legendary WWII Movies" dvd, which cost only a few bucks and includes this movie as well as "Go For Broke!" and "The Immortal Battalion", all enjoyable despite the poor picture quality. If you want to seperate the facts from legend, then I suggest you read George W. Smith's book "Carlson's Raid".
Rating:
Summary: Standard-Issue World War II Propaganda
Review: While watching this film, it may help to remind yourself not to view it through 21st Century eyes. This was made for consumption by a nation at war and, in war, soldiers must dehumanize the enemy in order to kill him. This is what made the casual racism of this and other films of the period (the enemy is referred to as "Jap" and "monkey") acceptable to the general public at the time. Today's audiences may (and should) find the references repugnant.
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