This is a remarkable movie, though you might not guess it from the credits. I don't know what George Brent was doing in movies; he certainly couldn't act, and that is painfully obvious here. But Cagney gives a superlative performance, once again going out on a limb, this time by playing a coward. And while he does finally find some courage, he is not rewarded with love and kisses; he dies. In short, it would be hard to imagine Hollywood making a movie like this today, but it is most definitely worth seeing. Sometimes the speeches get a little preachy, but all the sentiments are good ones, and as a realistic study of the difficulties of dealing with the horrors of war, this is one remarkable movie, for any time. A great script and and some first-rate acting.
Review of The Fighting 69th
