tavm Review of All the Young Men

All the Young Men (1960)

Sidney Poitier dominates All the Young Men

[6/10 · 18 February 2008]

In reviewing movies featuring African-Americans in chronological order for Black History Month, we're now at 1960 with All the Young Men. Sidney Poitier plays a marine sergeant during the Korean War who suddenly becomes the leader of his troop after the lieutenant dies and makes him so. Only two men seem to really object to him, an experienced private (Alan Ladd), and a Southern racist soldier (Paul Richards). Poitier's presence is felt throughout with his best scenes being with the racist after catching him trying to rape a Korean woman whose house they're temporarily staying at. Despite his production company-Jaguar-being in charge, Alan Ladd leaves most of the picture to Poitier though occasionally he has some good scenes like when he talks to a fellow soldier about his wife and kid. Most of the picture was pretty good but the way they ended it with the record of "When the Saints Go Marching In" playing as the score as they gun down the enemy struck me as blatantly jingoistic especially as they were making many of the mixed nationalities in the troop human with many of their back-stories revealed as they talk to each other in between battles. Among the other men: comic Mort Sahl using some his amusing monologue here and James Darren singing the okay title song. All in all, All the Young Men was an okay war picture that I'd recommend to Poitier fans.