PRINCIPAL CAST: Robert Montgomery, John Wayne, Ward Bond, Donna Reed; Director: John Ford.

SYNOPSIS:

This is a very standard and long-winded piece of American flag-waving fare - made at the end of the war - that demonstrates good ol’ America’s resolve despite adversity. What makes the film somewhat unusual is that the main storyline concerns the Allied (in this case, American) retreat from South East Asia in the early stages of the Pacific war.

Set from the official commencement of America’s involvement in World War II (the Pearl Harbour raid), it follows the experiences of a squadron of six US torpedo boats stationed in South East Asia and their crews. The title of the film derives from the fact that any craft that broke down during the retreat were deemed `expendable’, and were therefore to be abandoned.

The movie has all the typical trimmings of standard US war `fare’ (sic) - heroism, egotism, patriotism, action, screwball comedy, `smart ass’ dialogue and romance - but in this case there seems to be little pretension to humility - it all hits with the subtlety of a sledge hammer. For Goodness sake, they’re losing the war after all! As usual, most of the action scenes are quite well presented, although the special effects unit does overdo some of the explosions aboard enemy vessels.

The cast is capable without being exceptional. Indeed, the addition of a few highly credentialed performers does nothing to improve the overall appeal of the film.

EXTRAS

There are no special features to speak of; apart from a theatrical trailer, plus scene selection and subtitle (English, French) menus.

OVERALL

A rather disappointing effort from a director of John Ford’s class; although coming so soon after VP (Victory in the Pacific) Day, maybe one has to make allowances. It is certainly not a movie I would recommend to people as a standout in the `war movie’ genre, though it would not be the worst of its type either.

Running Time 135 minutes; B&W; 2 channel mono; 4:3 fullscreen transfer.