In Harm's Way

This movie is a gem. Ignore its few minor flaws like the ship-models-in-washtub special effects. And the slow pace would offend only those with the attention span of a two-year-old. On the contrary--the movie takes the time necessary for expansive character development. What makes this movie special is its realistic depiction of military command, life, and relationships. Viewers with no military experience will get a little taste of military life--its nobility, gentility, courage, stoicism, and occasional mendacity. It is a good study in command, like "Twelve O'Clock High." Twelve O'Clock High (Special Edition) One of the benefits of serving in the military is life experience--including meeting all kinds of people, good and bad. That's the case in this movie. And John Wayne gives another iconic portrayal of what it means to be an American and respond to great challenges.

Great movie with a legendary cast. If you don't have this movie, you're missing out.

A classic match up of John Wayne, Kirk Douglas with a five star supporting cast. This, and the action a suspence of the early days of World War Two, make it unforgetable.

***1/2 1965. This film was based on James Bassett's Harm's Way. Produced and directed by Otto Preminger. Academy award nomination in the Best B&W Cinematography category. The movie depicts, from the Navy point of view or, rather, from the point of view of some Navy officers of the Pacific coast, the American reaction after Pearl Harbor. As other reviewers have made mention of it, it's evident that Otto Preminger wasn't that interested in filming sea battles, he only presented on the screen what his characters could see from their positions. Preminger was more interested in depicting the behaviour of his characters caught in a crisis. Let's also note the general sexual tension described by IN HARM'S WAY, from the lascivious dance of Barbara Bouchet, who became a few years later Italy's most known starlet, during the first minutes of the film to the close-up of Kirk Douglas's face before assaulting Jill Exodus Haworth. Recommended.

I have to agree with most of the one and two-star reviews. This movie came to my attention as I was looking up Doug Stanton's excellent WWII book "In Harm's Way," which is not at all related. There's talk about making Stanton's book into a movie; that would really be something, as there is drama galore in the story of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis!

This 1965 star-packed, epic movie surprised me in a lot of ways, most of them bad. I was watching lots of movies in the 60's and I don't remember seeing this one, so I wonder if that means it flopped even back then or did I somehow just miss it? At best this is a so-called B movie, though with all the stars in the cast I can't imagine it was low budget.

The characters, the dialogue, the story, and even the acting are all very wooden. Dramatic events don't seem dramatic; the characters seem to be going through the motions. Even the battle scenes are lackluster. Sadly, the most exciting scene in the Pearl Harbor attack is a car crash. You will not see any ships sunk or even hit, but you will see sailors receiving refreshing splashes of water from "near misses." The other funny thing about the air attacks is that there are lots of explosions but no planes. The sea battles are a little better; at least the mines, shells, and torpedoes hit actual targets. But the models for the ships look too much like bathtub toys.

The role played by Kirk Douglas, Captain Eddington, is odd. He's a very capable officer and Admiral Torrey's (John Wayne) most trusted man, yet he gets into a lot of petty trouble. But then, inexplicably, he gets into some real trouble when he rapes an ensign nurse on a public beach with lots of people on the other side of a sand dune.

There are many Soap Opera elements to this movie, and if you go in expecting and wanting that, then this movie is okay. The made-up names of the South Pacific islands for "Operation Skyhook" are quite amusing, too.