The war programmers of the 1950's and 1960's were mostly majorly flawed due to lack of motivation and character development, utilizing cliched characters, stock footage and stories that lacked impact. This one sets up conflict and motive from the very start, showing soldier Jimmie Rogers in the Philippines in 1944 trying to get out of the jungle to get to a beach where the Japanese have set up camp. He is on a mission to meet a guerrilla soldier who has been executed on suspicions of being a traitor, and Paco, his replacement, is a no-nonsense, seemingly cold man, in no mood to help Americans, only willing to go so far as long as his own troop is unharmed. It's a mixing of cultures in setting up several points of interest with Paco needing to be convinced that his efforts in aiding the Yanks are worth it, having lost his wife and child in a battle with the Japanese.
There's also a young Jack Nicholson here as Rogers' pal who provides moral support, knows how to speak Japanese for encounters with the enemy, and also points out facts to Rogers about himself that he doesn't necessarily want to hear but can't avoid as he fights his own inner battles. Nobody at the time thought that "B" actor Nicholson had the potential to move out of low budget horror and action films, and certainly his participation in "Hell's Angels" didn't show the potential that was later revealed in "Five Easy Pieces" and confirmed with "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". While Rogers is decent, it is Conrad Maga as Paco who really stands out, showing anger and frustration and love and passion, all wrapped up with a neat bow of determination to do the right thing even though he is surrounded by elements of incivility that he can't escape from.
The Japanese once again are a brutal enemy, demanding that one child be executed for every hour that Rogers and his troop remain at large. But the Yanks, with the aide of Paco and his troop, are able to outsmart them, even though cultural differences become obvious when Paco and his men use torture to get information out of the captured Japanese, something that Rogers insists is against the Geneva Convention. Paco makes it clear that he doesn't follow the Geneva Convention, and gleefully sets up the execution of the enemy, something that brings out further differences between the quite different cultures. Rogers becomes the target of affections by one of Paco's female followers (Annabelle Huggins) who explains the background of their troop to Rogers, helping him understand them and respect them in spite of their differences.
Usually, I find these low budget action films to be tedious because they lack real heart and just focus on action. This one is different. Each of the major characters has their flaws, but they are quite understandable in the context of the above average script. This has great action in addition to great drama, particularly showing how the group gets over a rushing river, makes it through the jungle, and moves towards completing their mission. This is one of the few films I've seen set in the Philippines during the war that shows the influence of the Spanish culture on the country with many obvious Hispanic actors playing major supporting parts. The characters are crass and somewhat stereotypical, but it is important to remember that they are mostly guerrilla's, independent soldiers of freedom living in the mountains who haven't been trained in the civilized methods of a twentieth century world. The film ends up rather abruptly without a thorough conclusion, but as happens during wartime, the battle rages on.
There's also a young Jack Nicholson here as Rogers' pal who provides moral support, knows how to speak Japanese for encounters with the enemy, and also points out facts to Rogers about himself that he doesn't necessarily want to hear but can't avoid as he fights his own inner battles. Nobody at the time thought that "B" actor Nicholson had the potential to move out of low budget horror and action films, and certainly his participation in "Hell's Angels" didn't show the potential that was later revealed in "Five Easy Pieces" and confirmed with "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". While Rogers is decent, it is Conrad Maga as Paco who really stands out, showing anger and frustration and love and passion, all wrapped up with a neat bow of determination to do the right thing even though he is surrounded by elements of incivility that he can't escape from.
The Japanese once again are a brutal enemy, demanding that one child be executed for every hour that Rogers and his troop remain at large. But the Yanks, with the aide of Paco and his troop, are able to outsmart them, even though cultural differences become obvious when Paco and his men use torture to get information out of the captured Japanese, something that Rogers insists is against the Geneva Convention. Paco makes it clear that he doesn't follow the Geneva Convention, and gleefully sets up the execution of the enemy, something that brings out further differences between the quite different cultures. Rogers becomes the target of affections by one of Paco's female followers (Annabelle Huggins) who explains the background of their troop to Rogers, helping him understand them and respect them in spite of their differences.
Usually, I find these low budget action films to be tedious because they lack real heart and just focus on action. This one is different. Each of the major characters has their flaws, but they are quite understandable in the context of the above average script. This has great action in addition to great drama, particularly showing how the group gets over a rushing river, makes it through the jungle, and moves towards completing their mission. This is one of the few films I've seen set in the Philippines during the war that shows the influence of the Spanish culture on the country with many obvious Hispanic actors playing major supporting parts. The characters are crass and somewhat stereotypical, but it is important to remember that they are mostly guerrilla's, independent soldiers of freedom living in the mountains who haven't been trained in the civilized methods of a twentieth century world. The film ends up rather abruptly without a thorough conclusion, but as happens during wartime, the battle rages on.