Bataan
Bataan
NR | 03 June 1943 (USA)
Bataan Trailers

During Japan's invasion of the Philippines in 1942, Capt. Henry Lassiter, Sgt. Bill Dane and a diverse group of American soldiers are ordered to destroy and hold a strategic bridge in order to delay the Japanese forces and allow Gen. MacArthur time to secure Bataan. When the Japanese soldiers begin to rebuild the bridge and advance, the group struggles with not only hunger, sickness and gunfire, but also the knowledge that there is likely no relief on the way.

Reviews
Diagonaldi

Very well executed

... View More
GamerTab

That was an excellent one.

... View More
Actuakers

One of my all time favorites.

... View More
FirstWitch

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

... View More
iroquoisjoe

...if you don't already know the punchline to this joke, you WILL by the time the white guy is laughing maniacally at the end of this movie.Bataan lags at some points but you should never be discouraged. It's a wonderful piece of U.S. cultural legacy. It should really be on exhibit at the Museum of American History in Washington D.C.The overall message? We all must/will come together to win this war against a demonically evil but efficient enemy, the unholy Japanese Empire. Proof that we will/can accomplish this hard task is on exhibit in this film which displays the wonderfulness of the valiant defenders of America's farthest colonial outpost bastion, The Philippine Island's Bataan peninsula.But Uncle Sam needed more troops. If you weren't in a factory making weapons everybody was needed to be in the fight. Hence the producer put in EVERYBODY. blacks, asians, latinos, jews (based on name), and people with names that end in -ski. Perfect! A recruiting poster of a movie for the Army. The promise? You too can be an immortal hero if you give it up for your country...no matter how lowly you are.And by 1943 standards that was quite a message. That message, apparently, was not lost on southern whites who, according to the IMDb trivia section, protested (in letters to the producer) the black guy's inclusion. One can imagine their dismay. On a huge screen was a huge black man, acting bravely, firing a machine gun, looking relatively Hollywood handsome, thinking and reacting proactively to situations, holding his head up to white folk, TRAINED in explosives, and basically contradicting every denigrating description a racist might wish to attribute to African-Americans. No wonder the civil rights movement kicked into high gear soon after the war. It was all this movie's fault! It sort of makes up for the fact they make the black guy dig every grave in this film until he dies (courageously, in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy).The Japanese attackers don't fair so well in the positive portrayal department in this movie, but this flick wasn't meant to swell their service ranks. The less said about their portrayal the better, but let's just say that the term 'monkey' and Japanese are used synonymously throughout this film.The combat is brutal, the killing violent, and the tactics/accuracy more than a bit questionable.Still, it's a film you should turn out the lights and watch in the dark and imagine you are in a crowded smokey cinema back in the 1940's. Would you feel inspired? Head to the nearest recruiting office? It isn't the most realistic film you will ever see, but it does nicely represent critical time in WWII history. Where it became IMPORTANT to portray every American as useful, noble and good.

... View More
Terrell-4

This well-acted, tough World War II propaganda movie is an excellent example of the MGM style: Solid production values, some good acting...and a tendency to hit the message out of the ball park, and then hit it out again. And again. The story of a small group of soldiers fighting and dying to buy time for MacArthur to regroup around Bataan was, I suspect, a powerful movie when it came out in 1943. Now, it's a curious mixture of Hollywood theatrics mixed with some genuinely moving moments. At nearly two hours, it also goes on too long. For those who may believe that brave men can survive in propaganda war movies, read no further. It's early 1942 in the Philippines and Sergeant Bill Dane (Robert Taylor) with a mixed bag of semi-volunteers are given the assignment of blowing up a bridge which would otherwise be a primary crossing point for the invading Japanese army as it races south. They must also set up a defensive position across the chasm to keep the Japanese from rebuilding. Dane is a competent, no-nonsense Army lifer. The only other regular Army men he has is Corporal Jake Finegold (Thomas Mitchell), a wise old hand and long-time friend, and Corporal Barney Todd (Lloyd Nolan), a cynic who may have a history with Dane. The other ten men include an enthusiastic Navy corpsman, an engineer, an air force pilot, a medic and a supply corporal. The story line is simple. As we learn about these men and their histories, the Japanese pick them off one by one. And as they die, the dedication of the remaining men only grows stronger. We're left with the image of a row of graves barely visible as ground fog sweeps among them, with the rifles of the dead men thrust into the ground as headstone markers. Then the movement of Japanese soldiers creeping in for the final attack...with Sergeant Dane, exhausted and wounded, the last remaining man, rising to his feet, clutching his machine gun and blazing away at the charging enemy. "Come on, suckers," he screams, "come and get it! We're still here! We'll always be here!"The cast is small and gets smaller. Demographically, it matches Hollywood's idea of America. There's an Hispanic, a black, a Jew, a misfit, a young kid, a Philippine scout, a...well, you get the idea. Thomas Mitchell as Corporal Finegold plays his patented role of giving us some of the movie's messages. When early in the movie Dane bemoans how unprofessional his group of soldiers is, Finegold just says, "You can't always tell, sergeant. Some of those kids learn pretty quick and kinda good." Later, when Dane is discouraged and says, "I wonder how long these guys can stand up to this stuff," Corporal Finegold says to Dane (and to the theater goers), "Those kids signed up for this just like you and me. They'll get tired, sure. Things'll get tough, sure. But I don't think they'll put their tails between their legs and run anymore than you would." Robert Walker in his first credited film role plays the very young, gum- chewing corpsman. It's wise to remember that in propaganda movies it can be fatal to start dictating a letter home to your Mom. George Murphy plays the pilot who manages to get his bi-wing aircraft off but is wounded in the process. As with the other men, he chooses to die heroically. Even a conscientious objector who signed on as a non-combat medic winds up throwing grenades. Robert Taylor and Lloyd Nolan are particularly effective. I couldn't help but admire the professionalism of the movie. Yet knowing the men are going to get picked off, combined with the length of the movie, had me tensing every time someone decided to stand up, write a letter, peer over a sandbag, talk about his life back home or sing a spiritual. The tension is effective for the first hour, but after a while it got to be a strain. The one face-to-face fight towards the end of the movie, when Japanese soldiers camouflaged to look like brush and bushes begin to move toward the remaining men, and the men respond first with machine guns and then with bayonets, was a relief. It also was a brutal look at hand-to-hand combat. It's hard to beat war propaganda that lets us see average men and women gladly dying for a cause nobler than their own lives. At that level, the movie works. Bataan may be dated, but if you enjoy older war movies you might like this one.

... View More
lastliberal

There is no big action in this film. It could easily be a play. It is, however, a great story of 13 heroic men who stood against impossible odds to do their duty. In that sense, it is a good film for Veteran's day. Most of the soldiers in WWII did not do Audie Murphy style heroics, but did their duty and hung in there to aid in the war effort. The efforts here were of extreme importance and the men died with honor.Tough guy Robert Taylor stars, and there is a great performance by Desi Arnaz.The crazy/heroic ending may be trite, but it was good.

... View More
Michael O'Keefe

BATAAN is one of my very favorite war movies and is based on an actual endeavor in the Phillipines. Sgt. Bill Dane(Robert Taylor) leads a small platoon of thirteen devoted men in the mission of blowing up a pivotal bridge, the Japanese need to prolong their war efforts. The Japanese do not take their bridge being blown up lightly. Realistic WW2 combat scenes as a few brave men fight for survival in the South Pacific. Great ensemble cast featuring: George Murphy, Lloyd Nolan, Thomas Mitchell, Robert Walker, Desi Arnaz, Barry Nelson, Phillip Terry and Tom Dugan. One of my favorite scenes is when the enemy invades as a group of 'walking shrubs'. Plus the energy of Arnaz as he finds Tommy Dorsey on the radio. The finale is memorable as Taylor is berserk with desire to defend himself surrounded by the enemy. Thanks to AMC and TCM for showing this classic as much as they do.

... View More