They Were Expendable [Blu-ray]

Great movie

Enjoyed movie!

Great

One of the better John Wayne WWII movies.

Good movie. Great depiction of what the PT boat group went through in the beginning of WWIi in the Philippines islands

The Movie "They Were Expendable" is a true story based on Torpedo Squadron 3 that was based in the Philippines at the beginning of WW2. I am very happy that DVD's have been made of that movie. I am very interested in what happened to the US South Pacific Fleet that was based in the Philippines and other South Pacific islands. The stories of the gallantry, heroism and sacrifice of the sailors that fought the delaying action, at the beginning of the World War 2, in the Pacific should always be remembered. They were Expendable is only one small portion, though great, of the sacrifice that was made.

I am not going to write a review of the movie itself. That’s available from others and from other sites. Suffice it to say it is a great World War II movie about some of the darkest days of the war in the Pacific. I want to focus on the DVD itself. The quality of the product was excellent. The video was clear and sharp. The audio was excellent. There aren’t many battle scenes in this movie, but the ones that there were gave my home theater audio system a workout. If you are looking for a shoot-em up movie, this won’t satisfy. But if you are looking for a very good DVD of a classic movie, this is it.

A movie I enjoyed when I was a kid.

Fantastic, no problems

excellent movie

un grand film de la seconde guerre mondiale.Le film est en VOST.Les vivres viennent à manquer .Les troupes sont tenues en échec.Les soldats américains venus défendre les Philippines.John Brickley interprété par Robert Montgomery et Rusty Ryan interprété par John Wayne.Le film parle de de tous ces soldats qui se sont sacrifiés, ceux qui se sont jetés corps et âmes dans la bataille pour la liberté.est-ce qu'ils arriveront à leurs objectifs?

This is a very good classic war movie. It does not have the depth of "All quiet on the western front", "They were expendable" is a lighter war movie, but it is still a good action-war movie which presents the short moment of a navy squadron during the second world war.Ce film est un tres bon film de guerre, Il n'a pas l'intensite et la profondeur de "All quiet on the western front" (Tout est calme sur le front de l'ouest). "They were expendable" est un film plus leger, un bon film d'action et de guerre qui presente le tout court moment d'existence d'un escadron americain de marine pendant le deuxieme guerre mondial.

This black and white film was made just after the end of WWII, and so it might be expected to be very gung ho, but that is far from the case. It is a contemplative film about US servicemen and women living a desperate situation in the Philippines during the Japanese invasion in 1941, scripted by Frank 'Spig' Wead, himself a serving naval officer during the war.The story surrounds Motor Torpedo Squadron 3, led by Lieutenants Brickley and Ryan (Montgomery and Wayne), and is loosely based on the real-life Lieutenants Bulkeley and Kelly. The squadron with just a handful of plywood boats was virtually the only US naval force available to fight the entire Japanese invasion fleet, and the sense of hopelessness allied to a desire to fight pervades the entire film. We follow them as they get forced back from one base to another, always looking to the horizon in the hope that the US fleet will steam in to save the day. At the time, few on the islands were aware of the magnitude of the Pearl Harbor disaster, and so it only gradually dawns on the characters that there is not going to be any help.Certainly the squadron portrayed in the film sinks rather more ships than it did in real life, and the way the boats go about attacking ships is chosen for its screen impact rather than its realism (that's Hollywood I suppose, but it does make for some very exciting scenes). However, the essentials of the story are very well portrayed - the acting and screenplay are both first class. John Wayne plays second fiddle to Robert Montgomery, with the result that his feet are kept fairly firmly on deck and his heroics remain in check. Fine performances from Donna Reed, Ward Bond and several others help to create a very convincing atmosphere.To my knowledge, it is the only feature film to focus exclusively on the smaller elements of WWII navies (PTs, MTBs, MGBs, Coastal Forces, etc.). I can think of none at all which feature the Royal Navy's Coastal Forces (please add a comment if you can put me straight on this). So for that reason alone it has its attractions for anyone with an interest in naval warfare. But in my view its thoughtful and fairly realistic portrayal of the events makes it worthy to stand alongside the other three great films about WWII at sea: The Cruel Sea, Tora Tora Tora and Das Boot.Incidentally, without giving the plot away, the ending may seem like an improbable Hollywood twist, but it did in fact happen to Bulkeley and Kelly.