Ambush Bay (1966) User Reviews

A rugged war combat drama following the feats of a small platoon in the Philippines

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 30 December 2011]

Moving warlike production set on the Philippines plenty of Japanese and a crew of Marines battling an important base on the Pacific . The picture is divided in 4 chapters : first , second , third and fourth day . During WWII , October 1944 , a commando is assigned a dangerous mission on the Philippines Islands already inhabited by stranded Japanese forces , they have 38 hours to get their objectives . The Americans are commanded by a captain but he early dies and a sergeant (Hugh O'Brian) rules over soldiers . The group is formed by First Sergeant Steve (Hugh O'Brian) , 2ª Sergent (Mickey Rooney) , Sgt. William (Pete Masterson) , Corporal Alvin Ross (Henry Lauter) , Cpl. Parrish (Amsterdam) , Pvt George (Tony Smith) , Capt. Alonzo (Clam Stadler) and the starring James Grenier , a soldier without experience(James Mitchum , the tale is narrated under his point of view by voice in off) . At the beginning the Marines are successfully in wiping out Japanese . But they are spotted and descended upon by enemies forces ; meanwhile suffering casualties , exhaustion, encounters until execute their mission and to be rescued by a ship . They must go to the other side of the island until Panpassan at a Japanese resort , a 'House of tea' where contact a spy called Miyazaki who has top information and transmit it by radio . Then , the daredevil sergeant and the rockie radio-man soldier (James Mitchum) find themselves vying during the escape . The group must try to survive enemy that undergo a chase and a mini-war , as they fight all by themselves and finally find how wrong his misconceptions are . At the end the survivors endeavor to blow up a pivotal Japanese installation .

This is a Schenck-Zabel-Hal Klein Production realised thru United Artists and written by Ib Melchor , a Sci-Fi expert ; being well photographed by Emmanuel Rojas . Flag-waver wartime movie with a typical crew of Marines battling the 'yellow menace' and retrieve a messenger . The film packs warlike action, thrills, drama and is quite entertaining . The story contains a brief studio character seeking human frailty beneath surface heroism . Splendid Hugh O'Brian as tough sergeant , in one of the best roles and James Mitchum -who bears remarkable resemblance his father Robert- is fine , no thanks to mediocre script . Director Ron Winston's skill with the thrills overcomes the artificiality of the story . A cool cast, nice direction from Winston with riveting climax and enhanced by energetic score by Richard La Salle make this a must for wartime fans . The picture was filmed entirely on actual locations in the Republic of the Philippines . The producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of the Philippine government and its armed Force . Thanks to the U.S. Department of Defense , U.S. Navy , Marine Corps and Coast Guard , for their invaluable assistance , the producers extended thru United Artists .

Others movies concerning the wartime sub-genre about American soldiers battling Japanese on the Pacific islands and Philippines during the WWII are the following : Guadalcanal diary(43)by Lewis Seiler with Anthony Quinn and Lloyd Nolan ; the classic Sands of Iwo Jima(1949) by Allan Dawn with John Wayne ; Beachhead (1956)by Stuart Heisler with Tony Curtis and Frank Lovejoy ; None but the brave, directed and starred by Frank Sinatra; and Between heaven and hell(1956) with Robert Wagner, among them.

A nice but low budget appearing movie which is a fun watch

[kmontz-1 · 6/10 · 11 January 2007]

For standards of movie making decades later, the movie has its flaws but if you look past that, the plot is good and so is the acting. I enjoyed the nostalgia look at war movies where it was made close / somewhat close to when it happened and present day mannerisms, colloquial expressions and revisionist haven't taken too much of a overriding theme.

The actors in this movie are thin which to me reflects what a true soldier living on rations would look like, they don't use foul language in every sentence nor do they talk about sex. The plot shows Americans with dedication to duty, callous to the death around them and respect for each other except for the character, Pfc James Grenier, played by James Mitchum. As you watch the movie you go from disliking Grenier to rooting for him as all of the members of the mission are killed off.

Brainless, standard, and still entertaining

[SgtSlaughter · 6/10 · 27 April 2005]

*Spoilers below*

"Ambush Bay" is the poster-child of how to make a war film based solely on clichés. Regardless, the result is a very entertaining look at espionage in the Pacific Theater.

Days before MacArthur's fleet is to return to the Philippines, a squad of Marines is dropped on Mindanao with a risky assignment: penetrate enemy territory and contact a spy named Miyazaki who operates out of a Japanese rest camp. They spy has information vital to MacArthur's intelligence department. They are experts in the field of killing, except for Grenier (Jim Mitchum), a PBY radio man who was assigned to the team at the last minute when the original radio operator got sick. Grenier doesn't fit in with the veterans, especially the macho Sgt. Corey (Hugh O'Brian).

The piece is clichéd from start to finish – in what movie have we not seen the characters, setting or mission before? Director Winston handles this nonsense seriously – so seriously, that despite the flaws, it's very easy to enjoy this movie, even in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way. O'Brian gives a passionate performance, even if his character is anything but original and personal. His Sergeant is virtually a superhero, as Sgt. Wartell (Mickey Rooney!) reveals to Grenier by describing a series of Corey's early exploits on Guadalcanal and Tarawa. Rooney looks to be thoroughly enjoying himself as he scales cliffs and mows down Japanese infantry by the dozen, although he looks way too old and simultaneously boyish to be a believable career marine.

Although he gets third billing, Mitchum's is the most developed and believable character. He's a person any viewer can relate to: thrown into a situation beyond his control, Grenier is forced to adapt to ever-changing conditions – and fast – because his life may depend on it. He wants to do his job well, but doesn't have any natural talent, and therefore his peers look down on him with contempt. His performance never strikes a false note, and he even gets to lapse into some voice-overs to keep things fresh.

The on-location photography is stunning from beginning to end. Had this film not been shot in the Philippines, any credibility would have been totally lost. The exteriors are appropriately lush and beautiful. Winston and cinematographer Emmanuel L. Rojas don't just take us into the steamy jungles; we get to venture into rice patties, across streams and down rushing, crystal clear blue rivers. I absolutely hate it when producers try to make ridiculous locations like North American forests ("The Green Berets") or rocky plains of Spain (1964's "The Thin Red Line") pass for Asian or South Pacific jungles. The technique just doesn't work. Kudos to Winston for choosing to shoot this film in the actual locations it is said to have occurred at.

Although the movie runs nearly 2 hours, the time flies by. The pace is kept fluid in two ways. The characters are constantly on the go. The only reason they stop is rest, and we're treated to discussion revealing something of their character. For example, we don't get to know Corey as a person until late in the film when he develops a relationship with Tisa Chang's character. When the men aren't hiking or resting, they're engaged in some sort of combat with the enemy – patrols, tanks and indigenous cannibals constantly hamper their progress. Winston doesn't dwell on the supporting cast at all: most of them are non-essential characters that he kills off in a few early encounters with the enemy. We constantly ask ourselves "Who is going to get killed next?" This curiosity keeps us engaged right up until the climactic battle inside a fortified Japanese radio installation.

All of that said, it's necessary to point out several technical flaws which make the proceedings difficult to take seriously. The members of the squad are introduced quite extensively as masters in the art of warfare, but by the half-way point, almost all of them have been killed by Japanese draftees. Their detailed introductions are a waste of viewer time and engagement, since Winston seems to want to kill all of them off as quickly as possible. The death of one key character, involving "baked potatoes", has got to be an example of some of the worst screen-writing I've witnessed.

Some of the special effects (namely the destruction of a tank) are very below par, even for a low-budget film from 1966. Outdoor sets are used multiple times, to represent very different locations. The film's climax is packed with unlikely heroics, but by the time it arrives, viewers have dispensed with realistic expectations.

The ridiculous baseball-style caps look like something a Green Beret or Navy SEAL might have worn in the 1960s, but are totally out of place in a World War II movie. I took flak for this comment elsewhere. I don't care if Baseball caps are the "headgear of choice" for Marine air crewmen - these are Marines on an important mission and the last thing they'll be wearing in a green jungle is a bright red cap which yells "HERE I AM! SHOOT ME!"

Perhaps the unbelievable, overstated corny parts of "Ambush Bay" make it such an entertaining film; maybe it's more sincere performances of Mitchum and O'Brian that make it stand out from the deluge of "jungle patrol" stories out there. Whatever the reason, it's thoroughly enjoyable has been a favorite of mine since I caught it on cable as a kid. Now that it's available on DVD, a whole new audience may have opened up.

In the dark

[malcolmgsw · 4/10 · 28 July 2021]

Much of this film takes place in the dark. So it is impossible to make out what is going on,which is rather frustrating. However what I did see looked cheap and cheesy. The Mitchum character was simply ridiculous. Why was he wearing a red cap in the jungle. Its all very predictable and second rate.

" Cut him a little slack, . . 6 Months ago he was selling shoes "

[thinker1691 · 14 November 2011]

This is one of those modest films about life in the Marine corps during War time. Directed by Ron Winston, it's depiction is that of a select group of specialized soldiers, sent on a top secret mission to destroy a specific target which threaten the U.S. Navy's amphibious assault. The movie stars tough guy Hugh O'Brian as 1st Sgt. Steve Corey. Mickey Rooney follows as Gunnery Sgt. Ernest Wartell, as an equally tough as nails non-com who is convincing as a career soldier. James Mitchum is interesting, though irritatingly naive as Pfc. James Grenier who joins the elite group at the last minute. Their mission is dangerous, indeed nearly impossible as they are required to land on a heavily guarded island held by the Japanese, traverse a dense jungle and to destroy their radar station controlling a hidden underwater mine field awaiting the unsuspecting Americans. Despite the minor flaws in the film, the acting is top notch and the drama is consistent with true war like Military action. The movie is easily recommended to war buffs and fans of the main stars. ****

Whats with the hats?

[swojtak · 7/10 · 13 July 2009]

I have seen the movie before years ago on TV and I don't remember much about it from that time. However, this time the first thing I notices all through out the film was-WHATS WITH THE HATS! Each character wore a different style or color hat. I guess the producers wanted the audience to be able to distinguish each actor by the color and style of the hats. Hugh O"Brian was a former Marine so he probably refused to wear an unauthorized COVER (see I did use the right term). His had the symbol in the front. In addition, Mitchem wore jeans. I can't see a real Marine doing that and I also can't see a real Marine talking in such a disrespectful manner. He would have gotten that beaten out of him the first day in boot camp. Me being a gunnut I did notice the man with the M! Garand having the side mounted scope on it (M1D). That really surprised me. When the story opened and the comment was made that the man was an expert with the Garand, he would have carried a M1D and sure enough in the story he did and he used it. All in all it was a good war movie. It was not Platoon but good.

Nothing Special

[zardoz-13 · 5/10 · 7 February 2010]

U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur is about to return to the Philippines as he promised before the Japanese ran him off. In 1944, an amphibious Navy aircraft lands a Marine commando force near the island of Luzon, and they paddle ashore to obtain valuable information from a source deep within enemy territory. As First Sgt. Steve Corey, Hugh O'Brien of "The Brass Legend" is tough-as-nails, and Mickey Rooney is no slouch as career Gunnery Sgt. Ernest Wartell who totes around a .45 caliber Thompson submachine gun almost as big as he is. The youngest member of the unit is Private First Class James Grenier (Jim Mitchum of "Moonrunners") who has never seen combat. It doesn't take long for Sgt. Corey and Pfc. Grenier to get to dislike each other. Corey makes it clean in no uncertain terms that Grenier is supposed to cradle the radio set that is their life-line to Allied command. Indeed, Grenier is the member of the team is chosen at the last minute to fill in the regular guy. He provides the voice-over narration that introduces us to the commando team at the beginning of the film and concludes it at the end of the movie.

Our grim-faced gyrene heroes in camouflage fatigues learn from their contact, Miyazaki (Tisa Chang of "Year of the Dragon") that the Japanese have prepared an unusual minefield for the U.S. Navy. These mines are radio controlled and are anchored to the bottom of the bay. They are released and rise to the surface to blow up whatever they come into contact with. Grenier loses his radio with which he was entrusted. They have no way of contacting the Admiral Halsey's task force and MacArthur plans to land in 48 hours! Consequently, "Ambush Bay" is a thriller with a deadline. Instead, Corey and Grenier have to slip into the Japanese base, shoot their way into the radio control room and detonate the mines. Naturally, tough guy Corey keeps the enemy at bay with a 50. caliber, tripod-mounted machine gun from the roof of the installation.

Altogether, everybody dies except Grenier. Rooney has an amusing death scene. The Japanese find him sitting by a tree and threaten to kill him if he doesn't ante up information about himself and his cronies. He produces two hand grenades and invites them to dinner. He tells them that he will share his "potatoes" with them and they can have them with "the jackets on" and then hurls them at the Japanese as they beat a quick retreat. "Ambush Bay" is nothing special as far as behind-enemy-lines combat movies go. Essentially, this is a traditional war movie. The Americans are good guys, and the Japanese--who shoot women in cold blood--are the bad guys. Good performances, standard-issue heroics and lots of green scenery keep "Ambush Bay" from being too dreary. Incidentally, no sooner do our heroes immerse themselves in combat than their officer is attacked by a Japanese soldier and stabbed to death. This is a traditional World War II movie because the Americans aren't trying to kill their leaders like they did in "Tawara Beachhead" or "Attack."

Composer Richard LaSalle's orchestral soundtrack sounds as if he listened to Malcolm Arnold's music "The Bridge on the River Kwai" because LaSalle incorporate a similar melody. No, I'm not talking about Colonel Bogey's march. Scenarists Marve Feinberg and Ib Melchior have penned a screenplay that amounts to an anthology of clichés. "Ambush Bay" represents Feinberg's only screenplay, while Melchior earned a reputation writing sci-fi films such as "Robin Crusoe on Mars," "Angry Red Planet," and "Journey to the Seventh Planet."

Above average war flick

[funkyfry · 6/10 · 10 November 2002]

******SPOILERS*******

Tightly produced, well-cast little war film, with sturdy O'Brian in the

lead as a seasoned marine leading a small detatchment of crack troops into the Phillippeans in late 1943 on recon work. The only member of the troupe who isn't seasoned is the all-important radio operator (Mitchum) who's taken under the wing of the unit's "career marine" machine-gun specialist (yes, Rooney). Predictably, he manages to grate on everyone's nerves and be one of the mission's last survivors at the same time.

Good writing manages to make the story's more contrived moments come off well, and carries the film with a realistic tone and feel. Another good production from Aubrey Schenck.

Fighting Asians

[wes-connors · 4/10 · 16 July 2009]

A squad of Marines arrives at the Philippines, in October 1944. Their mission is top secret; but, if you have some background knowledge, you'll know it has to do with United States General Douglas MacArthur's impending return. The film's Captain is quickly killed off, and handsome "second in command" Sergeant Hugh O'Brian (as Steve Corey) takes over. A distant, no-nonsense hero, Mr. O'Brian was self-described gigolo (servicing a forty-year-old divorcée) as the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He clashes with ill-advisedly red-capped Private James Mitchum (as James Grenier), who has no combat experience. Mr. Mitchum, who also narrates the story, is needed for his radio transmission expertise.

The main conflict is between O'Brian and Mitchum; the film's message about war and heroism is haphazardly told. The film's most obvious fault is that nothing much is done to make any of it seem like it takes place in 1944. The Marines look and act like they could be fighting in Vietnam; this may, or may not be part of the point; it isn't clear. Perhaps, it was felt an authentic filming location (Philippines) would be enough. A nice opening introduces the cast, then neglects most of them. Veteran Mickey Rooney (as Ernest Wartell) and beautiful Tisa Chang (as Miyazaki) play the only noteworthy supporting characters.

**** Ambush Bay (6/13/66) Ron Winston ~ Hugh O'Brian, James Mitchum, Mickey Rooney, Tisa Chang

Their top secret mission paved the way for the man who said,"I SHALL RETURN"!

[TankGuy · 7/10 · 22 June 2014]

The year is 1944.Just prior to General Douglas Macarthur's Philippines campaign, a small team of crack marines arrive on the islands. Their mission, to make contact with a Japanese spy who has vital information regarding the landing of American troops on the islands. The group is commanded by 1st Sergeant Steve Corey(HUGH O'BRIEN).Taciturn and rugged, Corey refuses to reveal the objective of the mission, much to the irritation of the young and naïve radio operator,PFC James Grenier(JAMES MITCHUM)who does not yet take war or their mission seriously.However,as members of the group ate killed in bloody skirmishes with the occupying Japanese, even Corey begins to doubt his judgement and Grenier finally begins to accept the brutal realities of war as well as the task that he must carry out.

I'll be straight to the point, AMBUSH BAY is certainly not the most spectacular war film, but it certainly is fun and satisfactory. I can't resist any of these "Dirty Dozen" style war film that were cranked out by United Artists in the late 1960s.I find the scenarios and situations created for their characters somewhat appealing, this is the case with this film. The storyline is fine, although it's nothing new, but the main selling point for the film is the 3 main characters, Steve Corey(played by HUGH O'BRIEN),Gunnery Sergeant Ernest Wartell(played by the late MICKEY ROONEY)and James Grenier(played by JAMES MITCHUM).All 3 are robust characters and are portrayed fantastically by their actors. A strong, as well as an intelligent script allowed both Corey and Grenier to have both meaningful and interesting backstories. Corey is the rough,tough,heartless warrior who's seen it all. He's the polar opposite to Grenier, who is the innocent young recruit, confused as to what's going on around him. His character narrates the film, which I thought was a great touch as his monologues are made up of some sharp dialogue. Under the pressure of the situation, he slowly makes the transition from boy to man which I found rather compelling. This is demonstrated brilliantly in the final scenes. Mickey Rooney's performance as Wartell was the one that stood out the most for me as he brings a little dash of comedic colour to an otherwise dark film. He regularly comes out with humorous wisecracks whilst remaining serious but positive. The scene in the jungle in which he stall a Japanese patrol using "Baked Potatoes"(or Hand Grenades)was quite amusing but sad at the same time. It is in this scene that Rooney's experience as a comedian shines through. The other characters,like the other Marines, were rather boring as they were killed off before they could really develop.

The action scenes are exciting and tense, they're nicely peppered throughout the whole film. They comprise of small skirmishes in the jungle and one battle at the Japanese base at the climax. Although they were well shot, I found them rather dry and most of them looked similar. The director could have raised the roof a little more with the final battle, maybe by including a few more deaths and explosions. That being said, I did find that sequence very exhilarating as Corey guns down oncoming Japanese soldiers with a Machine gun and bombards them with Hand Grenades in true action hero fashion. I was biting my nails as Grenier detonates the sea mines using the base's radio control system in the midst of the fighting, thus making the final battle even more taut. The film ends on a heart wrenching but uplifting note with Grenier,now hardened by his experience, sitting alone on the beach as General Macarthur's victory "I have returned" speech blasts out of the radio.

Director Ron Winston, who up until this film had worked only in TV, makes a staunch attempt at the film. Although it's boring in parts and drags on from time to time, AMBUSH BAY is an above average war drama and an engrossing character study of men in combat. It's definitely worth watching and is also an awesome way to kill a couple of hours on a dull Saturday afternoon.7/10.

Warning - alternate title: Attack of the War Movie Clichés!

[Piafredux · 2/10 · 9 May 2005]

Excellent majestic, dramatic location filming in the Philippines is wasted on 'Ambush Bay's' cliché crippled script and on its other, ginsu production values (e.g., very fake-looking fake blood, amateurish explosions, racks upon racks of 1966-modern electronics suites pretending to be WWII Japanese gear, shabbily unsynched post-production dubbing of spoken Japanese over the moving lips of the Filipino actors portraying them). It also doesn't help this film that most of the raiders - those who are given no character development beyond the opening scene's terse narration of each man's combat specialty; and the most laughable of these is for Mickey Rooney's character who is "expert" with a Thompson submachine gun). The DVD image and sound transfer are, however, surprisingly good.

Since I first saw 'Ambush Bay' on late-night TV (in the Age Before Cable), and many times thereafter, I've always loved the cheesy scene of the wounded Mickey Rooney sassing his Japanese interrogators before he grenades them along with himself. It's one of the cheesiest bravado scenes ever to have been captured in celluloid - and yet it's the chief reasons I watch this almost painfully cheesy movie every few years or so. That scene, indeed the entire film, is like a 1960's censors'-toned-down-for-macho-blue-language echo of men's pulp magazines, which usually bore full-color cover illustrations that depicted bosomy Nazi women whipping bare chested virile Yanks, or inscrutable sloe-eyed Japanese women bent on seducing square-jawed, and always Caucasian, G.I.s) of the 50's and 60's (see James Lileks's website for amusing samplings thereof). I might add that a man of Rooney's abbreviated stature may not have met the marines' minimum pre-WWII height requirement, which thus casts doubt on the script's revelation that his character is a "career" marine: all I know is that I've NEVER seen a Gunnery Sergeant so short as Rooney's - so diminutive is Rooney that the Thompson gun he brandishes nearly equals his gnomish height. Yet he gives a good effort despite the script's wince-provoking haplessness.

Though the marines in the film speak the most lines, it's the Filipino actors (the ones playing Filipinos, not the ones badly playing Japanese) who achieve something like verisimilitude. Plainly, some of those actors, and many of the Filipino extras, retained vivid memories of their pitiless WWII subjugation and occupation by the Japanese.

The storyline isn't worth recounting at all, except to say that it's nearly as improbable as that of 'The Guns Of Navarone' - but at least 'The Guns Of Navarone' profited from its nearly high-camp capacity to, again nearly, lampoon itself as it plays out. But 'Ambush Bay' neither has, nor attempts, any such wittiness, overt or underlying, and thus its worst, thoroughgoing flaw is that it takes itself much too seriously. The other inherent flaw is in the plot: the notion that a fixed minefield could have somehow defeated or deflected the massive 1944 U.S. invasion of the Philippines is beyond risible.

At least the prop crew got all the personal weapons on both sides, and those "beach camouflage" (that's what the pattern was officially called) gyrene uniforms, right. We even see some Japanese troops toting and firing U.S. M1903 Springfield rifles: which is factual since the Japanese captured large numbers of these when they took the Philippine archipelago in 1942, along with considerable stocks of the proper ammunition for them.

Hugh O'Brian - never a contender for acting awards - is stiff, stolid, and wooden almost to point of petrification, and it doesn't help his performance that he was given awful dialogue to try to speak convincingly; in a few instance in 'Ambush Bay,' though, it seems he would have been a perfect casting choice had Hollywood decided to adapt DC Comics' nigh-superhero Sergeant Rock character to the cinema. James Mitchum inherited precious little of his father's superb talent: here as Grenier he's just gawky, awkward, sorely unconvincing every time he recites a line; his only - and scant - saving grace here would seem to be appears to have been a natural, relaxed athleticism.

On the whole, however, viewers knowledgeable about WWII history will find 'Ambush Bay' historically lacking; and anyone familiar with the canons of scriptwriting and production technique will find its flimsy plot, hackneyed dialogue, and ginsu special effects almost unendurable. But watch it for the Classic Cheesiness in that one Mickey Rooney suicidal bravado scene, for the lovely location photography, and for some serious and fairly impressive acting by the Filipino actors whose performances, one can't help construing, benefited from their having had their hearts in this story that purports to tell, at least obliquely, of the ordeal they endured and the feats of sacrifice and fortitude they achieved throughout Japan's WWII tyrannization of them and their islands.

A fine Pacific Theater WW II film!

[Ospidillo · 9/10 · 26 January 2008]

Hollywood simply did not make enough of these great color, letterbox format, Pacific Theater, WW II films! Director Ron Winston did a fine job with this one which is one of the best I've seen. Baby Boomers, in particular, will be hot on this one.

A young James Mitchum, (talented brother of Robert and John Mitchum), holds the starring role here over Hugh O'Brian and Mickey Rooney. Mitchum plays Private Grenier, a smart-aleck rookie U.S. Marine who has gotten himself shanghaied into a top secret special operation in the Phillipines during the Japanese occcupation. All the other marines, about a dozen of them, are highly-trained and experienced specialists in their respective fields. Mitchum, the radio guy, was grudgingly brought along as a last-minute replacement for the regular top communications specialist who came down with illness just prior to this imperative guerilla operation.

They are secreted to the island by float-plane at night. Soon after entering the jungle, the Captain of the operation is killed during a desperate scuffle with some Japanese soldiers at their campfire. Hugh O'Brian, playing the Lieutenant, takes over command and he doesn't much like Mitchum, viewing the Private as trivial and immature. Mitchum is eventually told the purpose of the operation: A Phillipine guide will take them across the jungle island to the Japanese base where their contact person, a covert Allied agent, will provide information that is critical to MacArthur's immanent Allied re-invasion of the Phillipines. Thus, it will eventually fall on Mitchum, the most important member of the team in terms of duty, to convey this critical intelligence by radio.

In yet another early confrontation with a small platoon of Japanese infantry, who are also equipped with a very cool little army tank, more Marines are killed and this also sets the Japanese hot on their trail through the jungle. Just before their destination is reached the Marine's native guide, the only person who knew who the identity of the contact agent, is killed -- Hugh O'Brian is forced to sneak into the Japanese-infested village and ferret out the contact agent at great risk. I'll have to stop here to avoid a SPOILER! One of the best features of this movie is the superb filmscore, composed and conducted by Richard LaSalle. It's one of those atmospheric sixty-ish scores reminiscent of those fine soundtracks previously conveyed by Hugo Friedhofer and Les Baxter. It really adds to the suspense and to the ambiance of this fine film.

The abundance of tropical flora, great locations and sets, the super cinematography, and, the great casting additionally support the superb quality of the movie. Compare this film to yet another of these singular film treasures: "Never So Few" It's all really just first-class. If you enjoy World War II films, especially those concerning the Pacific Theater, you'll love this terrific 1966 entry. My highest recommendation!

Last Marine Standing!

[spookyrat1 · 6/10 · 30 August 2020]

Ambush Bay is not a bad little WW2 "B"movie auctioneer. It blends your standard Pacific theatre war movie, with the old horror trope of our heroes being knocked off one by one letting us wonder who might survive if any at all. Unfortunately that concept is pretty much immediately undermined by the director choosing to use an unneeded narration, which should give the alert viewer a strong hint as to the final outcome. Ambush Bay is full of little positives and negatives, such as this.

It was filmed entirely on location in The Philippines, where the story is set, which is definitely a bonus for a clearly low budget feature. But then there is quite a bit of not particularly well-lit night-time cinematography in the jungle, during which it's pretty difficult to clearly see what action is occurring.

The story involves an elite unit of American marines undertaking a secret mission (Is there any other type?) to a Japanese - held island. They are to make contact with an American spy with vital information which may well affect the result of the war in the Pacific. The trouble is the spy works in a Japanese "tea-house" (pleasure resort for soldiers) and the Americans have no clue to the spy's identity, except a code-name. And beginning with their landing on the island they begin to suffer casualties.

Most associated with the movie had television pedigrees: director Ron Winston, (This was his debut cinema release.) lead, Hugh O"Brian and many of the support cast, including James Mitchum (Yes, Robert's son! The physical resemblance is there, but that's where it ends. Where Dad made acting look easy, Junior makes it look trying.) The arguable exception is Mickey Rooney, who whilst putting in a welcome appearance, is the least likely physical specimen one might expect to see on a mission such as this.

We get very little characterisation in Ambush Bay. Many of the soldiers are killed off, before we even know their names, some it has to be said, in rather silly fashions, for supposedly elite combat troops. Speaking of fashions, I'm not sure why some of them seemed to be wearing baseball caps. It never seemed to be explained. Mitchum's is the most developed character, playing a duck out of water. Drafted into the mission involuntarily because of his radio communication skills, he completes the old trope of a rookie soldier thrown into a situation beyond his control.

Ambush Bay doesn't aim high (even that title??) but what it does do, it does OK. There is plenty of action (some of it, literally unbelievable), a fair degree of suspense and I have to say, that I have seen far worse in terms of entertainment value.

A Big Surprise For Admiral Halsey

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 19 February 2009]

A crack team of US Marines is sent to one of the small Phillipine islands because there's an agent there who's got some big news, but can't get it out. Almost from the beginning Captain Clem Stadler is killed in some contact with a Japanese patrol. That leaves command of the mission to fall on Sergeant Hugh O'Brian.

Ambush Bay managed to hit all the war movie clichés without a miss in its running time. One of the most prominent was the new guy on the mission, in this case radioman James Mitchum. He was a last minute replacement and with the exception of Mickey Rooney, he's not well regarded by the seasoned Marines on the mission.

I can't say what it is or how the team deals with the information, but let's just say they've got one big old surprise cooked up for Admiral Halsey's task force.

The movie was shot entirely on location in the Phillipines and the scenery is quite lush. I'm sure that the promise of a tropical vacation might have induced a few of our American players to work in this film.

I feel either ambushed or just plain bushed right about now.

0n the American Sherman tank in the movie

[fernandovales1431 · 18 April 2004]

The criteria presented regarding this movie is correct, except for the comment on the US M4 Sherman. In all wars, including the Second World War, forces from all sides wind up capturing enemy equipment. M3A1 Stuart light tanks of US manufacture were caputred by the Japanese in the Philippines (in Bataan) during 1941 and subsequently pressed into their service. The tank depicted in the movie could have been captured during the Guadalcanal campaign as the island kept continuously changing hands, shipped to the Phillipines and assigned to serve whatever division occupied those islands. Simple as that. There are records that show a few Sherman tanks were INDEED captured during the entire Pacific War.

One of the most annoying films I've ever seen

[blrnani · 4/10 · 11 June 2021]

With one of the most irritating characters, played by James Mitchum. He's supposed to be a wet behind the ears rookie, but he's just stupid and mouthy and doesn't do anything he's told.

The rest are all supposed to be seasoned soldiers, but they keep heaping stupid mistakes one on top of another, starting with their approach to a beach that has fishing boats and is therefore not at all discreet. This on a secret mission where their presence must not be detected. They compound that by not properly disposing of their inflatables.

Moving away, they come across a group of Japanese soldiers and decide to kill them rather than go round them. But do they observe the enemy first, to properly weigh up the situation? No, they go wading in and kill all three. But wait a minute, there are 4 rifles - we've missed one! So they go searching in the jungle and the mission leader is killed before they can dispose of number 4.

They can't even stage an ambush properly, shooting the front two but allowing the rest of the small group to run into the jungle and stage a firefight. Then taking on the group's tank, a team member places explosives but instead of running back under cover and waiting for the explosion, he runs straight into the tank's firing line and is gunned down.

The film goes on in this vein until they meet their contact and urgently need to get a message to MacArthur's attack force. So where's the radio that Mitchum has been told to keep attached to him at all times. Oh, it's been all shot up. But Mitchum is unscathed, because he'd taken the radio off and left it in the firing line. I think at that point, if I'd been the sergeant I've have shot him myself!

There's more, but I think you've got the picture. The message of courage and sacrifice could have been made into a much better film, but unfortunately it's all very slapdash... and irritating!

Only for those who want action where you can laugh at the silliness.

A decent WWII actioner.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 26 August 2018]

The setting is an unnamed, Japanese-held island in the Philippines during the second World War. A marine unit arrives to carry out a mission; they will make contact with a Japanese double agent and ultimately work to relay critical information. Hugh O'Brian is Steve Corey, the crusty, tough-as-nails Sergeant and second-in-command who must take charge when the units' captain (Clem Stadler, also the movies' technical advisor) is written out of the story very early on. James Mitchum plays James Grenier, a relatively green radio man who feels ill-prepared for his situation (he was a last-minute replacement for a man who fell sick). Grenier also narrates. And Mickey Rooney is Ernest Wartell, a reliable weapons expert.

Overall, "Ambush Bay" lacks distinction. But whatever it lacks in style and gravitas is compensated by a straightforward, matter-of-fact story (scripted by Marve Feinberg and Ib Melchior) that doesn't get bogged down in messages, subtext, or pretensions of any kind. It's a pretty enjoyable meat-and-potatoes kind of war movie, one with time enough for both adequate action sequences and some character-defining moments for the guys, and Tisa Chang as Miyazaki, the contact unknown by the heroes to be a female. O'Brian and Rooney are fine, Mitchum less effective. Grenier is the type of character who will be seen as annoying and whiny until the inevitable moment near the end where he does redeem himself. Then again, he's not career military like most of the guys; his civilian life didn't get put on hold that long ago. Supporting roles are played by Peter Masterson and Harry Lauter; viewers who've seen enough Filipino exploitation features will recognize Bruno Punzalan, who plays a small part.

Excellent location shooting, a fair amount of gore (albeit with that kind of bright red movie blood we saw so frequently during this era), and rousing music by Richard LaSalle all help in making this reasonably entertaining to watch.

Seven out of 10.

Childhood classic

[hewlett61 · 5/10 · 9 February 2022]

I saw this on a crappy B&W TV in 1969 or so at around the age of 8. It always stuck in my head as my favorite war movie as a child. I lived in the middle of the city, San Diego, but there were miles of wooded canyons directly behind my house, and in the 60's we all played soldier. It was always WWII, even though it was the middle of the Vietnam war. In watching this for the first time in over 50 years, I know why I liked it as a kid. It has the exact feel of me and my friends running around the bushes in the canyons playing war. I have always remembered the Mickey Rooney grenade/potato scene. Has not come up yet as I type this, but has always been imprinted in my brain. I am surprised how this is all filmed on location, and not in a studio where it could have looked like Gilligan's Island. Seeing it on widescreen and in color gives away some of the shear stupidity of this movie, like the red hat. But hey, for a kid watching on an old TV 50 plus years ago, it is one of the great WWII movies ever made.

WWII jungle warfare in the Philippines

[Wuchakk · 6/10 · 18 November 2017]

RELEASED IN 1966 and directed by Ron Winston, "Ambush Bay" stars Hugh O'Brian, James Mitchum and Mickey Rooney as Marines on a covert mission on a Japanese-held island in the Philippines where they must hook up with local Filipino guerrillas in preparation for MacArthur's invasion.

The first 45 minutes or so are typical jungle warfare from the perspective of 60's filmmakers, not bad, but kinda meh. However, things perk up with the Teahouse sequence and the introduction of Miyazaki, played by the beautiful Tisa Chang, which adds human interest to the proceedings with O'Brian effective as the laconic hero. There are some war movie clichés, but the action's muscular and the movie emphasizes self-sacrifice for the greater cause with some fairly potent melancholic pieces.

Another reviewer puzzlingly criticized the film as a cheap remake of "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957) when the storyline isn't anything like that heralded film. They both take place in the jungle and involve Allies fighting Japanese, that's it. The score has similarities, so what?

THE MOVIE RUNS 109 minutes and was shot in Luzon & Metro Manila, Philippines. WRITERS: Marve Feinberg & Ib Melchior.

GRADE: B-

Cheap Remake of 'Kwai'

[henryonhillside · 5/10 · 25 July 2017]

This is a remake of "The Bridge on the River Kwai" at one-tenth the cost (resulting, not surprisingly, in far less quality).

Ten bullet points:

1. I first saw the picture in about 1970 on "NBC Saturday Night at the Movies" and loved it. I was very young. 'Nuff said about that.

2. It's not available as a DVD on Netflix, for some unknown reason, but is available for streaming there, and is available free on YouTube, somewhat altered (darkened to avoid copyright issues).

3. The music, by Richard LaSalle, sounds very much like "Kwai" except not as good. LaSalle scored many films in his career, all of them destined for second billing at drive-ins.

4. The stars are mediocre. Hugh O'Brian (the poor man's William Holden) is palpably bored and/or wooden to the point of parody. O'Brian had quite a career going for himself in the 1950s but by the time of this production was C List. (He was a good man though; inspired by the great Albert Schweitzer, he founded a charitable foundation that seems to do good things.) James Mitchum, son of Robert, looks just like his old man (as he undoubtedly heard every day of his life) but has very little of daddy's talent (yes, nepotism does get your foot in the door in Hollywood). His role here, as written, is actually somewhat subtle and complex, involving emotions like ambivalence; he just ain't up to putting the stuff on the screen.

5. Two supporting actors do well here: Tisa Chang as Miyazaki and Mickey Rooney as Ernie. Miyazaki is tough, earthy, sexy, real. Ernie is full of vinegar and has a couple of funny lines. The film's director (Ron Winston) should have seen that Rooney brought his A game to this production and was worthy of a lot more screen time.

6. Re James Mitchum - what a burden, to be the not-very-talented son of a really famous father and look just like him. I think of Dhani Harrison (son of George) in this context. Difficult to have one's own life. (I really think Dhani should turn his back on all those millions of dollars coming in every year, and the endless parade of luscious 20-year-old groupies, and strike out totally on his own. Easy for me to say, right.)

7. The heart of the film is the teahouse sequence followed a bit later by the village sequence. These are reasonably interesting - maybe worth six stars.

8. There seems to be a modest Vietnam connection here. My guess is, this is why the film got funded (it was made in 1965-66). Several lines of dialogue suggest Vietnam including "Who's the enemy?" "Anyone." That kind of thing.

9. As various reviews note, these commandos aren't very good at their jobs (thanks to the film's writers). Examples abound. For instance, during their first encounter with the enemy (three Japanese soldiers eating supper) they open fire much too hastily (i.e., they don't wait to see if any enemy soldiers are off in the forest taking a dump or watching birds or whatever). This tactical failure gets the head honcho of the commandos killed. Handy for script purposes but absurd for believability.

10. Watchable for Mickey, for Tisa, for the teahouse and village sequences, and for the Philippines locale, and if, like me, you love war movies and are willing to put up with a lot of mediocrity.

Cheesy but fun and the scenery is beautiful.

[falkie2008 · 7/10 · 30 December 2010]

I saw this movie when it came out.

Sure it's flawed and riddled with clichés, but there's really only one reason to watch it and that's Mickey Rooney and his flippant comments when he gets wounded and confronted by the Japanese.

Baked potatoes and you can eat them with the jackets on.

That entire scene stuck in my mind all these years and I am re-watching the movie while I type this.

The music is quite good.

But if you're looking for a war movie that's accurate or reflects reality, this one isn't it.

James Mitchum's character reminds me of one of those guys who questions everything and contributes nothing.

By the end of the movie, you're rooting for him to get killed just so he'll shut up.

Kind of like some liberals out there.

An insult to all the Marines I know

[mark-12-361519 · 1/10 · 27 March 2011]

So many rookie mistakes.

Mitchum is the key man, the last minute radio man who is told to protect his radio at all times. Except in the opening frame, he is wearing a dark red hat that he continues to wear during the entire movie. Here is a group of hand selected specialist in full camouflage and this guy right in the middle is wearing a dark red cap.

And the second in command, the sarge knows the exact route of the American invasion fleet. Top-secret restricted information but given to someone on a commando raid. Not that anyone could get captured and tortured.

And the demolition expert doesn't know how to keep his head down.

Need I say more expect to stream it on Netflix and watch it in 15 minutes. I'll let you find the other insults to the Corp. Hollywood and its love of profits to the max.

Don't waste your time

"Let's Do It...!"

[richardchatten · 6/10 · 16 May 2021]

A laconic war movie shot in The Philippines and set there twenty years earlier (not that you'd know it from female lead Tisa Chang's sixties blouse and slacks (the latter tight enough for it to be obvious she's not wearing forties underwear).

A year earlier it would've been in black & white, but local cameraman Emmanuel Rojas renders the local vegetation incongruously pretty in glossy De Luxe Color; although it does enables the blood to be vividly red.

Most of the cast are a terse, taciturn bunch, especially ultra-tough commanding officer Hugh O'Brian; the emotion coming from Bob's boy Jim Mitchum, who also provides the film's narration.

Ambush Bay Review.

[Ben-Hibburd · 4/10 · 5 June 2017]

Ambush Bay is directed by Ron Winston. It tells the story of a Marine unit on a Japanese-held island in the Philippines, that tries to hook up with local Filipino guerrillas. The film sees Hugh O'Brian star as Sgt. Corey. Mickey Rooney as Sgt. Wartell and James Mitchum as Pvt. Grenier. In terms of acting they all do a decent job. However their character development rarely goes beyond typical war film cliché.

The direction is nothing to get excited about it mainly consists of steady cams that point and shoot. The score is one of my biggest gripes with the film. It's incredibly loud and obtrusive, which kept pulling me out of the film. On a positive note the film has some good action scenes, and it was nice to see a specialist unit that deals in stealth remain stealthy through most of the film.

Whilst the film becomes Increasingly dull in its second act. The film does start too pick up when it enters into its third act. The team have too infiltrate a Japanese base then subsequently fight off overwhelmingly large enemy forces. These scenes are well shot, and the action is enjoyable, if somewhat predictable.

With it's paper thin plot and poor characterisations, Ambush Bay is an inconsequential B movie that fails in every respect to elevate itself above the limitations of it's genre. If you want too relax on a Sunday afternoon, this film will do its job. However there are other films like The Wild Geese, Dirty Dozen that are more deserving of your attention.

The Music and Imagery saved this otherwise pedestrian WWII epic

[ddc300 · 14 September 2007]

Just picked up this DVD for a song. Yes, the acting is wooden, the characters are archetypes of classic WWII yarns, and the blood was obviously red paint. But this film does include two nice touches: the cinematography, and the music score. I thought I recognized the music: Richard LaSalle was the composer for "Ambush Bay" and many of his music cues from this film turned up as incidental music on most of producer Irwin Allen's TV projects throughout the 1970's. The "Land of the Giants" series used a lot of his music in the later episodes.

Oddly, in a peculiar coincidence, "Ambush Bay" co-script writer Ib Melchoir was a noted sci-fi film scribe, having penned "The Time Travelers" (1966), and is credited with creating the idea for producer Irwin Allen's "Lost In Space" (for which he was not given credit). And the tie-in is that composer LaSalle contributed scores to both "Time Travelers" and "Lost in Space" (sometimes fact IS stranger than fiction).