None But the Brave (1965)

Too many fans seem to be blown away

Strong and Moving!

Sadly Over-hyped

A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action

Tommy Sands as 2nd Lt Blair ruins the Movie, as a Marine I can testify, no one acts like this idiot. He is so over the top is is completely ridiculous, his silly accent is even more ridiculous. It's obvious Frank Sinatra is a terrible director, he can barely act, it's sad he thought he could direct. By today's standards this movie barely rates one star, saddens me that they decided to make these jerks Marines, not a one of them would rate as a private, obviously no one with military experience was involved in the filming. The opening sequence miniature animation scenes were terrible too, obviously models. It's extremely hard to find something positive to say about this film. It's an insult to anyone who has served to see morons portraying marines. Every scene with Sands in it becomes comical, and this is obviously not supposed to be funny, it's a painful view to continue trying to gleam something positive here. Marines would never have such a loose group, no understanding of honor or discipline, Hollywood did no favors to the Marines, If I was a civilian looking to enter the Military, this film would convince me to stay home.

Like its better known cousin HELL IN THE PACIFIC, NONE BUT THE BRAVE is a story about US and Japanese troops stranded on a desert island during WW2. It's a tense and highly watchable tale that makes Frank Sinatra's sole directorial credit, and he also co-stars in the movie as the medic of the group.The tale is quite low key and more of a character piece than an action film. There are action scenes here, but they're few and far between and low budget. Nonetheless the film looks classy and expensive with fine cinematography that brings the lush locations to life. As an anti-war piece of filmmaking, it ploughs much the same furrow as HELL IN THE PACIFIC, exploring the way in which all soldiers are the same and the parallels between the two units despite their utmost grievances.There are some exemplary performances amid the cast members. Clint Walker is exceptional as the nominal group leader and Tatsuya Mihashi his equal as his Japanese rival. Sinatra himself gives an understated performance but the set-piece involving the amputation is the tensest and best in the whole film, a minor acting masterclass from the star. Only Tommy Sands falls apart with a turn that could best be described as a caricature of a real person.

I don't think None But the Brave is a classic, but it certainly is not a bad film. Not at all, even if the pacing is uneven, the score a bit of a disappointment(John Williams has done much better work before) and Tommy Sands's character written not as well as it could have been, there is still a lot to like. Asides from Sands, who does his best with his role, if overdoing it sometimes, the other acting is very good, with Clint Walker giving the best performance as he performs with care and sensitivity and the Japanese actors doing very well. This is one of the cases where Frank Sinatra did a better job as director than as an actor, while he is decent in a secondary role, I found his direction much more impressive. The scenery is very nice to look at, and the story is strong. Also abundant are the likable script and while the secondary characters are a little clichéd some care has gone into making them not seem so. Overall, not absolutely wonderful, but definitely not bad. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Across the wide theater of war, there are many stories which are never included in the massive volume of war. This surprising movie which arrive in 1965 is called " None but the Brave. " It's the story of a squad of Japanese soldiers who have become stranded on a tiny island when their war time empire begun retreating. Idealic in its setting they become complacent but have adapted well. Still their unit commander one Lt. Kuroki (Tatsuya Mihashi) keeps a personal journal detailing his thoughts. Left undisturbed, boredom becomes their only companion until one day a U.S. transport plane loaded with American marines crash lands on the island. The men are raw recruits led by an inexperienced Marine 2nd Lt. named Blair. Were it not for an experienced pilot, one Capt. Dennis Bourke,(Clint Walker) the small detachment would have blazed into the Japanese camp and been massacred. Realizing this, Bourke assumes command and with the help of a boozing Pharmacist Mate (aptly played by Frank Sinatra) the detachment in kept under control. The Japanese commander also has his problems when Sgt.Tamura (Takeshi Kato) opts to immediately attack the Americans causing dissension between him and Kuroki. The film displays well both the animosity and the humanity of both sides and briefly allows all to realize their future. This is best illustrated during a typhoon when everyone must work together to survive. Vetran actors like Brad Dexter, Richard Bakalyhi and Sammy Jackson as Cpl. Craddock give the picture its professional veneer. The acting is first rate, the story is tempered with compassion, dramatic action and tragedy, resulting in cultural sympathy for both sides. As a consequence, this has become a war time Classic. ****