Touches You

So much average

A Major Disappointment

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The price for freedom are the lives of men and this movie makes that point and more. Told in a way where facts are submitted mingled with human nature, drama and pain we are invited to a very significant moment in our history and we do well to not forget it. I always admire true stories about men against what is thrown at them and how without rehearsal the circumstances engage and the outcomes are left to the results which no one knows until it is over. To go into something unknown and commit oneself 100 % and furthermore to give all you have while doing it should humble us all as there is no greater sacrifice or form of giving than that. War is hell literally and figuratively and exists because men fail for one reason or another or try to rise above their given stature or interfere with circumstances in a willful way. Cagney is a joy to watch. He has aged, is mature and his acting is without effort lending realism to it all. Fine outstanding supporting cast is worthy of a mention too. In the beginning parts of the movie where they begin the flashback to tell the story, I was thrown off a little by this music score they use consisting of a heavenly type chorus while there are scenes being acted out during the movie. I kept expecting some biblical character to appear. After a few of these, I understood what the director was trying to do i.e. pay homage to the lives given while telling the story. We won the war based on the sheer courage of men and their oaths taken at the costs of their lives. This movie reminds you of that. Let me remind you that next time you go to get a burger and fries, walk in the park, attend a sports event etc. know that people who fought well set us up to do this at a high cost. I like to snack while watching movies. There is a scene in this one involving a chocolate cake so go from there. It was a big piece too. Add a tasty drink and you're off! Enjoy Attenthut! Good movie on deck

Movie buffs who crave action may not find this film to their liking. But, those who enjoy history and most war movie fans will enjoy "The Gallant Hours." This is one of the very best war films ever made in which there are no action scenes, battles or combat shown. The plot is excellent, the screenplay is superb, and it's all made quite riveting by the performances of the cast. This is a story about a few weeks of World War II in the Pacific Theater and Admiral William F. "Bull" Halsey, Jr. It covers the time under Halsey's watch when the tide of the war turned from Japanese domination to the start of Japan's retreat. James Cagney gives one of the best performances of his career as Halsey. Cagney was a very talented performer. He could act, sing and dance. Unfortunately, he didn't get as many top dramatic or musical films in which he could use his tremendous talents. That's because his star rose during the halcyon years of the public's and Hollywood's fascination with gangsters, organized crime and local government corruption. Cagney is one of those actors who became so identified with the gangster persona that he didn't get many other starring roles. But those he did – comedy, musical, or other action films, all were very good. It does seem ironic indeed, that the Oscar he won was for his role as George M. Cohan in "Yankee Doodle Dandy." Cagney played a lively, magnanimous Cohan – a master entertainer, playwright, composer, singer, dancer and producer. In "The Gallant Hours," Cagney is more reserved as Admiral "Bull" Halsey, to suit the character. But he gives a thoughtful, intelligent performance for the man who was in the spotlight at the time and who's leadership helped set the course for an Allied victory in the Pacific. This film has tremendous historical value in its focus on command decisions, the careful deliberations, the concerns, worries, efforts to discover and outguess enemy plans and tactics, and the risks military commanders and leaders often have to weigh and take. In one scene, Cagney's Halsey says, "There are no great men. There are only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by circumstance to meet." It's a brilliant film all around, and should be in every war film library. Other reviewers have noted a discrepancy in the timing of Japanese Admiral Yamamoto's demise. That should be noted for its misrepresentation in the film. All of the cast excel in this film. It's a fine tribute to a fine man and leader, and to all the Navy brass and other commanders in the Pacific theater for their dedication and service in World War II. This film was worthy of 10 stars but for one thing. The U.S. Naval Academy chorus, however good it may be, was just out of place providing the background music. It quickly became a droning distraction and detracted from the film.

The decision not to show any battle scenes is what prevents THE GALLANT HOURS from really coming to life as a war drama. All of the scenes showing the men in command who have to make the big decisions are extremely well done, but when the film is over there's a feeling that something was lacking. At least at some point in the story, some footage of men during battle would have made the Halsey story more gripping.It's presented almost like a history lesson. The factual account of events following the Japanese successful attack on Pearl Harbor and leading up to events at Guadalcanal, borders on being dry but is saved by the crisp performances of the male cast and especially JAMES CAGNEY as Admiral "Bull" Halsey. Cagney puts aside all his famed mannerisms and plays the role with feeling and intensity, getting across the notion that being a commander during wartime is an extremely harrowing experience when so many lives are at stake.The cast is mostly unfamiliar to me, with RICHARD JAECKEL and DENNIS WEAVER being the sole exceptions. Jaeckel is highly effective in a brief role as a man who is losing his fighting spirit until he gets a pep talk from Halsey and Weaver is pleasantly cast as Halsey's pilot and aide.A thinking man's war film, it's a bit overlong at one hour and 55 minutes and without any actual battle footage. It's directed in competent style by Robert Montgomery but the Roger Wagner chorale music is a bit overdone in an attempt to heighten the drama.

Helped in fact by an astonishing physical resemblance to Admiral William F. Halsey that audiences today can't appreciate, James Cagney in his next to last film before retirement makes a very believable and strained Bull Halsey recollecting those harrowing weeks during the seesaw battle for Guadalcanal. If one is looking for battle scenes and lots of blood and gore skip this film. If one however would like to see a study about the strain of command than this film is ideal. Cagney drops all of the mannerisms that we normally associate with him in playing Admiral Halsey. It's a restrained and mature performance.The Gallant Hours is also a tribute to the men of our fighting forces in the Pacific who took and held on to the key island of Guadalcanal in the Solomons and halted the Japanese in the Southwest Pacific Theater of Operations. Director Robert Montgomery did the film in documentary style and at times you feel like you're in the brain of Admiral Halsey, weighing each decision he makes with him. The familiar voice you hear narrating is that of Montgomery who was no longer acting and now was mostly concerned with production and with political work for the Republican National Committee.The Gallant Hours is a fine character study of one of America's greatest naval heroes and should not be missed.