Halls of Montezuma (1951)

One of my all time favorites.

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

'Halls of Montezuma' just lacks the gut-wrenching power and poignancy of 1930's 'All Quiet on the Western Front', also directed by Lewis Milestone and one of the greatest war films ever made, but even to this day it remains extremely enjoyable.Do have to agree on the very few flaws covered in a couple of reviews already. Also did find the Japanese tactics revelation absurd and by today's standards and even back then it feels outdated and one flashback clumsy in placement and execution. Robert Wagner seemed a little wooden in places too.Conversely, 'Halls of Montezuma' is a great-looking film. The production values are suitably gritty, while the cinematography is outstanding and the editing remarkably smooth from frame to frame. The music, kept at minimum wisely, is rousing with a memorable theme song, while Milestone directs with eye for spectacle and an ability to make the story and drama absorbing, refusing to let the pace lag which is remarkable for a more intimate war film.The script is thought-provoking and while the characters seem like stereotypes at first there is a noble and successful effort to develop them, so they are interesting. The story is told with a lot of intimacy and ambition while also giving the war scenes real urgency and power. Excellent casting helps, and apart from slight reservations about Wagner, 'Halls of Montezuma' doesn't disappoint.Richard Widmark is a commanding lead, playing with searing intensity often, while Richard Boone, Karl Malden and Jack Webb are very strong in their roles as is a pre-"evil incarnate"/over-the-top specialist Jack Palance in one of his first roles (and for an early role he is very good indeed though he went on to better things).Overall, extremely enjoyable, not one of the most definitive war films ever but one of the most successful and interesting WWII films. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Despite it's grand name, Halls of Montezuma is a small war film. What I mean is that the movie focuses more on a small group of men and their fears and problems than it does on a grand plan for Allied victory. It's a very personal movie. We get to see these men up-close and we begin to develop feelings for them. I wouldn't doubt that this is one of the first films to show a U.S. Lieutenant so battle scarred that he resorts to using pain killers just to function. Unlike other war films of this era, not all of these men are going to make it to the end. War is like that. It doesn't pick and chose people to live because we like them. So in that regard, it's also more realistic than some other war movies made in the 50s.To succeed as a small, personal war movie as I've described, the cast has to be able to act. This cast does not disappoint. Richard Widmark, Jack Webb, and Karl Malden are all excellent in their respective roles. I was especially impressed with Webb who has an acting style that can grate on the nerves. He's more subdued here and it works. But as good as these three are, Jack Palance is the highlight of the movie for me. He was undoubtedly the most believable. I could really picture him doing the things in real life that were called for in the script.I have no difficulty recommending Halls of Montezuma to fans of war films. It's a very welcome addition to my DVD collection.

This is one of a slew of WW2 films made in the late 40's and early 50's, some better than others. This is definitely one of the better ones. This film features a whole bunch of future stars, such as Richard Widmark, Karl Malden, Richard Boone, Jack Palance, Robert Wagner, Jack Webb and Martin Milner. Most of them hadn't completely honed their skills yet and a couple of the performances are either a bit wooden (Malden, Wagner and Webb) or overdone (Widmark). The technology is very primitive by today's standards, yet this film holds up well. The acting aside, it seems that every effort was made to make the film as realistic as it could be. In that respect, this film is much better than some of the others of the same era. There are a lot of films from this era. If you choose to watch only a few of them, make sure this is one of the few.

The fog of war is redefined down to what is left of a US Marine Corps Platoon on a Japanese held island. The lieutenant, a former chemistry teacher and seven members of his original command must find where the Japanese have hidden rockets before the battalion attacks. Characterizations are typical of a Lewis Milestone move and avoid the formula cliches. To the platoon are added a combat historian and a suave, debonaire interpreter. Many future stars are featured in this stirring film at early stages in their careers. As an Reserve Army Colonel and a high school chemistry teacher this film strikes home. Do they find the rockets? You must see this film to find out.