This is not the standard WW2 ultra-patriotic "shoot-em-up movie", but rather one which emphasizes the life of the soldier as a member of a platoon. To be sure, there are some skirmishes, with fatalities involved, but this is not a movie dependent upon explosions and gun fire at all times. The cast is excellent, with Van Johnson ( Holley), the light-hearted wisecracker of the outfit, and John Hodiak ( Jarvess), who portrays a small-town journalist who enlisted to fight. Other cast members are as follows: Ricardo Montalban ( Rodriguez), an religious LA native who has never seen snow; George Murphy ( Pop Stazak), an older soldier who accepts a dependency discharge to help his ailing wife at home, but who can't leave just yet; James Whitmore ( Kinnie), an experienced platoon leader with the common touch, who suffers from frozen feet, but soldiers on; Doug Fowley ( Kip), the biggest griper in the unit, and the one who constantly clicks his false teeth that he may have acquired through dubious circumstances; Don Taylor ( Standiferd), a light-hearted soldier with a fondness for cognac; Herbert Anderson( Hansen), a bespectacled family man from Springfield, IL, who demonstrates quiet competence and bravery in a critical moment; Richard Jaeckel (Bettis), a soldier who experiences "shell shock", and has difficulty with battle scenes; Bruce Cowling ( Wolowicz), a football-loving sergeant-type who has strong leadership skills; Jerome Courtland ( Abner), the stereotypical rural Southerner, with a pleasant, easy-going manner, and a fondness for folk songs; Marshall Thompson ( Layton), the young newcomer, who must learn to find his way into adjusting to life in a combat platoon;
A good movie, the characters are fairly well-developed, and there are a number of scenwes that are quite memorable, and with no small amount of humor , as well. Some of the characters exhibit questionable bevaior at times, but they are all likeable, and tehy redeem themselves well. Not all of them make it, but in war movies, this is not unusual. I can recommend this movie strongly; it will surprise and entertain you at the same time.
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