Customer Reviews

Combat - Season 2, Mission 2

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I reviewed the first season DVD set of COMBAT, I said that it truly warranted a 3 1/2 star rating....now however we are getting into the swing of what COMBAT was to become....the second season is so chock full of terrific episodes that it is hard to know where to begin....I'll highlight a few episodes from this season:

1. Bridge at Chalon - Lee Marvin stars as a demolition expert who is attached to Saunder's squad in order to blow up a bridge..Marvin chews nails in this episode, and we get to see clumsy Little John in action...

2. Doughboy - Eddie Albert is a shell shocked WWI soldier who mistakes Saunders for the HUN

3. Long Way Home - Richard Basehart plays a sadistic German Officer who captures the Squad..Simon Oakland excels in a broken prisoner, who does not want Saunders to make waves...

4. The Wounded Dont Cry - COMBAT tried to be fair and show that there were German soldiers who were humane, and not depict all of them as stereotypically evil, and this episode, regarding a German Medic, illustrates this point...

5. Anatomy of a Patrol - A classic in my opinion, as James Caan plays the Seargent of a German Squad who tries to outwit Saunders...think of how Kirk and Khan played a game of cat and mouse in Star Trek II as well as Robert Mitchum and Kurt Jurgens in the WWII submarine movie The Enemy Below, and you have the comparisons to this episode....

6. What Use are Bugles Blowing For? - A great 2 part episode of a Britsh Squad protecting a Railroad station that will soon be encircled by the Germans...it is up to Saunders to convince the officer to abandon the station...great action and a very good character study of USA and UK soldiers...

7. Gideon's Army - a very poignant episode concerning Saunders squad discovering a concentration camp...very sensitively handled...

Those are are few of the fantastic episodes of the second season, and actually I only can think of one episode that I thought was totally awful. It was called Infant Of Prague and was concerned with a bunch of stupid nuns, who by the end of the episode, you were starting to root agianst them...anyway that's it....enjoy....highly recommended!!!

This is an outstanding TV series and it got an outstanding DVD release. Your money is well spent just to see the episode, THE PILLBOX. It's great, as are the rest of the episodes as well.

After looking at all 5 seasons, I concluded Season II was
the best. From this Part II, Barrage, The Pillbox, The Eyes
of the Hunter, Counter-Punch, Weep No More, Rescue, and
Command all made my personal top 50. 8 more from part I
made my top 50, have separate review for that.

Combat is one of the great TV shows of the 60s. Great acting and wonderful stories. Very realistic war scenes for its time(no CGI, of course). I bought all the seasons and have not seen a bad episode. If you have an interest in WWII, I recommend this series. I am just waiting for the 12 O'Clock High TV series to be released on DVD. That is also and excellent WWII TV series from the 60's.

This collection of episodes is very good. I especially liked "The Glory Among Men," "The Pillbox," "The Hunter," "Mail Call," and "The Eyes of the Hunter." I personally like Combat far better than Band of Brothers. The episodes are so addictive; my little sister is just as captivated by them as I am. Now I want more.

I think the thing that really sticks out in my mind is how well crafted the human drama is. Combat doesn't focus on "war" - it focuses on the people in the war. This close approach really draws the viewer in. Kudos for Combat!

I recommend this movie for anyone over the age of 11. This is what TV used to be like in America. It shows the decisions that had to be made in that conflict, and sometimes that decision was sacrificing someone in your own squad. For those wanting to see men at their best in the worst conditions, this DVD series is a must. This movie is not about WWII, this is about the daily grind of living day to day in the infantry.

This is a great show! Loved it 45 years ago and love it even more now. The DVDs are a real joy/

Television's best war series is Combat! It's full of action but it's the human drama that makes it such a standout series. This set has 16 episodes but they're not in broadcast chronological order.

"The Pillbox" is an intense drama with Lt. Hanley (Rick Jason) being the main character. Warren Oates is the guest star. This was the first Combat! episode that Vic Morrow directed. "Gideon's Army" is one of Combat's most chilling episodes. The squad stumbles upon a Polish enforced labor camp. This will remind some people of some very unpleasant incidents from WWII. "The Hostages" features Doc (Conlan Carter) as the main character. Carter was actually nominated for an Emmy for his part in this episode. Saunders & Caje have been captured by some German soldiers who are trying to escape from the Allied held French town. Doc has to get a vehicle to help facilitate the escape but nothing goes right. "The Glory Among Men" was the final episode of the second season of Combat! It's Vic Morrow's second time directing an episode. He would generally get to direct two episodes a season beginning with the second season. "The Glory Among Men" is Combat's most thought provoking episode. While on patrol a member of the squad is severely wounded & is caught in no-man's-land between the Germans & Americans. The problem is that no one in the squad likes the man, in fact, they all detest him. The question is asked: What do you do? Do you leave him there to die or do you attempt to rescue him? It's a tough situation & Morrow handles it well as director.

There are some bonus features included in the set that include audio commentaries on selected episodes. There are bloopers, notes & oddities by Jo Davidsmeyer on each episode. This set is highly recommended though set one of the second season is the stronger set.

Wonderful film. This was a famous TV series in Asia. It brings back so much memory as I grew up there. Even thought in real war, you don't think too much as you don't know if you are going to live tomorrow. I hope there is caption for ESL to choose.

The DVD itself is fantastic however I have been having problems with every Combat DVD. Sometimes the screen freezes and you have to turn off the player and restart. When the show is over it will not go back to the main menu. When you click on a menu item the screen freezes. This not on all episodes but there are some that I gave up trying to watch. It was just too big of a hassle to try to return the product.