A Great Human Story... Makes A Mighty Motion Picture.

Starring: John Wayne, John Agar, Adele Mara, Forrest Tucker, Wally Cassell, James Brown, Richard Webb, Arthur Franz, Julie Bishop, James Holden, Peter Coe, Richard Jaeckel, William Murphy 

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ - good

"You gotta learn right and you gotta learn fast. And any man that doesn't want to cooperate, I'll make him wish he had never been born." - Sgt. Stryker

Why watch this? This early film centers on one of America's most iconic World War II events.

Plot Summary: In the Pacific theater of operations, a squad of marines train for an upcoming island invasion. Their hard-nosed sergeant, John Stryker, is focused on getting the men ready, but his harsh treatment is winning no friends among the recruits. In fact, two privates, Pete Conway and Al Thomas, openly despise the Sgt. for his constant harping and rigorous training. When they finally see action on Tarawa, the men begin to understand the reason for his methods.

Dad's Preview: The strength of the film is that we see the squad first in training and then in battle, which are two very different experiences. This film realistically depicts a noteworthy moment in history, namely the taking of Iwo Jima island in WWII. The Duke was nominated for Best Actor for his efforts in this patriotic ode to the soldiers who fought and died in some of the most brutal warfare ever engaged by American troops.

Republic Pictures