Powerful

Admirable film.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Colonel John Wayne (Madden) stays to fight in Bataan against the Japanese who have conquered the region. He is helped by Philippino Resistance Leader Anthony Quinn (Bonifácio). The story is based on true events when the Japanese had the upper hand. The Duke manages to be on the winning side come the end, though.The film is OK and the battle shelling is powerfully portrayed but we don't really get a sense of camaraderie. We have a love story that is touched upon between Quinn and radio broadcaster Fely Franquelli (Delgado) which provides a degree of human drama but I'm afraid the whole school sub-story falls flat. The sentimental contrivance of the school kid and the teacher Beulah Bondi (Miss Barnes) is totally ghastly. Bondi is really irritating in this film, seemingly taking over and ordering people about. My wife and I spent the film wishing that John Wayne would shoot her. Unfortunately, this never happened.Wayne does OK and some scenes are done well – the flag raising/hanging scene – but there is something flat about this effort. Watch "Bataan" (1943) for a much better effort on this topic.

Is it churlish to complain about overt flag waving in war movies? Or to decry propaganda prose in the same? Back to Bataan is guilty as charged, yet such is the composition of Edward Dmytryk's film, and its focus on a part of the war we rarely have seen on film, it matters not.We are in 1942, and after the fall of the Philippines to the Japanese, U.S. Army Col. Joseph Madden (John Wayne) stays behind to lead the local guerrilla resistance against the Japanese army. With that synopsis it isn't hard to figure out what sort of pic we are going to get, yet to purely consider this as a macho beefcake movie is a little unfair.Sure it's bookended by blistering action, as Duke Wayne (very restrained turn actually) and Anthony Quinn cut a swathe through the RKO sound stages, but there's lots of intelligent human interactions here to mark it as being in the least knowing of the campaign.It often grasps for the sentimental branch, while the racist barbs and portrayal of the Japanese does sting at times. But this is exciting and thoughtful stuff, boosted no end by Dmytryk's sturdy direction and Nicholas Musuraca's monochrome photography (a film noir lovers dream pairing!). Better than routine war movie. 7/10

this is one grit filled action packed war film.the the fighting scenes are well done.the acting is very good,all around.the movie really flows very well,i thought.it also really captures the essence of how brutal the Japanese were,in several scenes.everything looks authentic and realistic.in think the filmmakers were going for a high degree of realism here,and for the most part succeeded.it's one of those movies where you can help but feel uplifted.you may even feel like cheering.it's that kind of movie.yet it isn't maudlin or sappy.it's a very brisk paced ninety five minutes.would i watch it again?absolutely.i'd watch it again in the near future.for me,Back to Bataan is a 7/10

During the World War II, in the Philippines, the ruler (Americans) and the ruled (Filipino) cooperated to resist the new ruler (Japanese). It was a rare case in history. This movie portrays the resistance guerrilla from the American's view point.Japan invaded the Philippines immediately after breaking the war with the US, the purpose of it was to defeat the Americans, and to invade the resource rich Indonesia from the Philippines. Japan did not have much interest on the resource poor Philippines, but Filipinos had to experience tragedy. For the USA, who had to use much of their forces to Europe, the Philippines was not that important country. Being unable to expect much support from the USA, the Americans and the Filipinos organized the guerrilla for the resistance.Throughout the history, Filipinos have never won in fighting against foreigners. For long, they even did not have recognition of a nation state. In this guerrilla, however, they fought risking their life for their nation state, the Philippines, though not by themselves but with American's leadership. This movie is different from other war movies by giving light on this point.