This film was made right in the middle of a period when cinematic interest in the Far East war was at its height.The big film of 1958 was The Bridge On The River Kwai.Also that year Guest directed for Hammer The Camp On Blood Island.In 1960 the film of the successful play The Long and The Short And The Tall was released.I recall that there was a storm of protest from veterans of the Burma campaign,as they claimed that civilians were not killed and mistreated.Baker gives a powerful performance as an officer under pressure.He was on his way up to stardom.The same year he would star in another Guest film,Hell Is a City,this time starring as an unconventional detective. One does have the suspicion that this film was made rather on the coattails of Kwai and The Long and the Short and The Tall.Elements from the plot of that film are in this film.Furthermore in both films the platoon ends up being killed by the Japanese.Although now released on video this film is pretty much unknown.Despite a clearly limited budget this film is effective at evoking the jungle and the tough decisions that Baker has to make and not least the ironical situation he finds himself in.
Review of Yesterday's Enemy
