Even as a non-movie war buff, I really enjoyed this movie. As a Filipino who lived in the Philippines for 16 years, 6 of which was in the province and the rest in the States, I really identify with the movie. It shows the beautiful scenery of the country and the rustic huts which are still being used to this day. It displays the villager life quite authentically as I recognized the national costume, (barong Tagalog and filipiniana), a typical nipa hut, the way people typically wash their clothes, and the huts on stilts.
Tyrone Powell stars as the dashing war hero who gets blown off his PT boat and leads his motley crew to Australia. In the process, he gets caught up with the Filipino guerilla movement against the Japanese, trying to duck the Japanese whenever the village is invaded. It is an interesting portrayal of trying to make do with Asian countryside resources to make a viable radio to contact general MacArthurs troops. He meets the heroine who later becomes widowed and the two fall in love in the midst of the war. The ragtag crew gets caught in a last stand at a sturdy church, when General MacArthur arrives in the nick of time, making for a feel good movie, I found it exciting, easy to get into and located in a typical local Filipino flavor even featuring the typical native dance tinikling. I loved this movie, it will not disappoint. Maybe they could have portrayed the Japanese high rankers as a little bit more cruel, the way my mom used to describe to me, and they could have shown some Japanese as young kids who had no choice and were just homesick and were in a war they never wanted to be in. But other than that, an excellent war movie. The difference between movies in the 1950's and 2000's clearly show in terms of excellent acting and inspiring cinematography.
Tyrone Powell stars as the dashing war hero who gets blown off his PT boat and leads his motley crew to Australia. In the process, he gets caught up with the Filipino guerilla movement against the Japanese, trying to duck the Japanese whenever the village is invaded. It is an interesting portrayal of trying to make do with Asian countryside resources to make a viable radio to contact general MacArthurs troops. He meets the heroine who later becomes widowed and the two fall in love in the midst of the war. The ragtag crew gets caught in a last stand at a sturdy church, when General MacArthur arrives in the nick of time, making for a feel good movie, I found it exciting, easy to get into and located in a typical local Filipino flavor even featuring the typical native dance tinikling. I loved this movie, it will not disappoint. Maybe they could have portrayed the Japanese high rankers as a little bit more cruel, the way my mom used to describe to me, and they could have shown some Japanese as young kids who had no choice and were just homesick and were in a war they never wanted to be in. But other than that, an excellent war movie. The difference between movies in the 1950's and 2000's clearly show in terms of excellent acting and inspiring cinematography.