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6.6/10
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During WW2, a 3000-strong American unit, known as Merrill's Marauders, battles the Japanese forces in Burma.During WW2, a 3000-strong American unit, known as Merrill's Marauders, battles the Japanese forces in Burma.During WW2, a 3000-strong American unit, known as Merrill's Marauders, battles the Japanese forces in Burma.
Charlie Briggs
- Muley
- (as Charles Briggs)
Winston Churchill
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
Paul Edwards
- Chris
- (uncredited)
Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn the battle at Shaduzup, the huge triangular sets of concrete blocks in the rail yard, where the close-in fighting took place, were originally built to support huge fuel tanks used to fill up the engines as they were leaving the yard.
- GoofsGeneral Stilwell tells Merrill that he is concerned about the Japanese linking up with the Germans in India. This was a fear in 1942, when the Germans had conquered a vast expanse of Soviet territory, and it looked like they would reach the Caspian Sea and then Persia. But the German advance was turned back at Stalingrad in February 1943. At the time of the conversation in the movie, in early 1944, the Germans were being pushed out of Ukraine. They had no chance of linking up with the Japanese any more.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits prologue: JANUARY 1942
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Typewriter, the Rifle & the Movie Camera (1996)
Featured review
An Exercise in Tension
The fact that the film has no discernable introduction is entirely in keeping with Sam Fuller's B Movie style direction. It jumps straight into the action, with Merrill's army platoon stationed somewhere in the middle of the Burmese jungle. While it was quite hard to suddenly have to familiarise oneself with about 20 different characters, and determine the complicated relationships between them, it allowed for an epic war movie to be refreshingly condensed to a bite-sized 95 minutes.
Merrill, his respected lieutenant, Stockton, and the rest of the boys spend the majority of the film in a sweat-drenched feverish confusion, which is so convincing, that you wonder what the director had to do to in order to produce such a performance from his actors. I have never seen so much agony and despair on the screen, as Merrill's men struggle through the seemingly endless swamps and mountains. Fuller adds to the attention by way of silent close-ups and good use of the location which suggests that anything might be around the corner, and it usually is.
The film truly shows the horrors of war and the effects on the minds of the people who fought it. If there is a fault, it comes in the form of a patriotic voice-over commentary which bookends the film at the start and the finish. Otherwise, this makes for thrillingly uncomfortable yet exhilarating viewing.
Merrill, his respected lieutenant, Stockton, and the rest of the boys spend the majority of the film in a sweat-drenched feverish confusion, which is so convincing, that you wonder what the director had to do to in order to produce such a performance from his actors. I have never seen so much agony and despair on the screen, as Merrill's men struggle through the seemingly endless swamps and mountains. Fuller adds to the attention by way of silent close-ups and good use of the location which suggests that anything might be around the corner, and it usually is.
The film truly shows the horrors of war and the effects on the minds of the people who fought it. If there is a fault, it comes in the form of a patriotic voice-over commentary which bookends the film at the start and the finish. Otherwise, this makes for thrillingly uncomfortable yet exhilarating viewing.
helpful•244
- crispintp
- Nov 18, 2003
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Merilovi vojnici
- Filming locations
- Pampanga, Philippines(Burmese jungle)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 38 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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