70 of 81 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ambush Bay, Bad Title, good movie, June 2, 2005
This review is from: Ambush Bay (DVD)
I am driven in part to write a quick review based on the errors mentioned by the other review (Cressy, below).
First, the movie was good, but still Hollywood, when it comes to portraying actual combat.
Second, Hugh O'Brian's character may come across to a civilian like a "superhero" because he actually was a Marine! He knew the part he played from experience, not just as an actor.
Three, the previous reviewer knows nothing about the Marine Corps or its history. Baseball caps were common in the pacific, especially during the early years of the war and especially with air crews. The choice was that or a garrison cap (if you have to look that up, do so) or a helmet. It was not until later in the war that the soft cover came out, which, as I recall, was what Hugh O'Brian and Mickey Rooney and the other "Marines" wore.
Fourth, the "rubbery, funky camouflage uniforms" are not "rubbery" at all, but were real. I still have one.
Fifth, it goes to show that civilians should not be allowed to review military movies, for the obvious reasons.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fun movie with some great action scenes., February 19, 2006
This review is from: Ambush Bay (DVD)
Do not expect a masterpiece with Ambush Bay. Expect to have some fun and enjoy this "covert" action film. A team of Marine Raiders (Marines that were actually issued full camouflage uniforms in WW2) are sent to a Japanese held island to try and remote-detonate some mines that are blocking our ships at sea. The mission goes bad early on and the Marines start dying one by one. The shootouts are exciting and there is a fair amount of blood for a 60's film. To the reviewer who commented about the uniforms- by the early 40's, some Marines fighting in the Pacific were issued a reversible camouflage uniform that had light sandy camo on one side (for a beach invasion) and green jungle camo on the other (for jungle fighting). The guys in this film wear only the beach side for some reason. The hats are authentic for the 40's. Soft caps were common once troops were out of a combat zone. In fact even today, special forces covert units prefer "boonie" hats over helmets. This is a movie I would have LOVED as a kid. As an adult, I enjoy it and have watched it 3 times now.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good WWII Action Fiction, February 11, 2007
This review is from: Ambush Bay (DVD)
Ambush Bay is a good World War II action drama about a Marine Corps reconnaissance team dispatched to the Japanese-occupied Island of Siargao in support of a pending U.S. amphibious invasion. Their mission is to link up with a Japanese-American woman and radio back information she has on a coastal bay to be used for the assault. The reconnaissance turns into a raid after they find an elaborate minefield in the bay that threatens disaster for the invasion force, and are unable to warn higher headquarters after their radio is destroyed in action. The plot is interesting and the movie has a good cast with Hugh O'Brian as First Sergeant Corey, Mickey Rooney as Gunnery Sergeant Wartell and James Mitchum as Private Grenier. Mitchum's character is an airman radio operator assigned to the Marine team, and he serves as the audience's observer and narrator for the story. While there are other Marines on the team, O'Brian's character takes the lead early after their commander is killed, and Rooney gives balance as a career soldier who doesn't take himself too seriously. While the movie has a good story, action-drama receives priority over tactical logic as the recon team stumbles into Japanese units, resulting in several firefights that whittle the team down to the main characters. The production features on-location filming in the Philippines, but the casting of Filipino actors as Japanese soldiers, and the use of a contemporary military base for the climatic sequence, waters down an authentic environment. Overall, it's a good "B" movie for action entertainment.
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