Stranded on a remote Japanese occupied island, a group of US marines consider a truce in this daringly different 60s World War II movie from the directing hand of Frank Sinatra. 'None But the Brave' would be Sinatra's only stint behind the camera, which is a shame as he shows more finesse as a filmmaker than actor here. The film's structure is fascinating as it spends equal time on depicting both US and Japanese sides. Sinatra also allows his Japanese actors to speak in Japanese with English subtitles, avoiding the awkwardness of foreign characters speaking Broken English to each other. There is a particularly effective sequence in which Sinatra crosscuts between Japanese and American troops between addressed at the same time, highlighting the similarities in approach between sides. As a neutral American-made World War II movie with nifty editing, 'None But the Brave' has nothing on 'Beach Red', which would come out two years later, but it is still an admirable effort. Better characters and acting may have helped. Tommy Sands often seems to get chided for his performance, but none of the actors (including Sinatra himself) offer much dimension - not that doing so would be easy since most of the characters are interchangeable. Then again, the film was probably never intended to be character-driven in the first place, and by not having a plethora of protagonists to sympathise with and like, it is easier appreciate the conundrum at hand. Do wartime conditions really still exist on an island cut off from the rest of the world? It is food for thought.
Review of None But the Brave
