BEACH RED is an intriguing war picture, directed by and starring Cornel Wilde, who is a bit long in the tooth for his role but otherwise sound. This is a mildly experimental bit of film-making that takes a psychological approach to a battle, depicting the frightened wits of the young soldiers involved, plonking them into a brutal beach landing and then some claustrophobic jungle combat.
What I particularly liked about this film is its stylistic approach, courtesy of Wilde. Most American '60s Pacific War-themed movies simply depict the Japanese enemy as faceless aggressors or even worse as evil demons. Here, they're no different to their American counterparts, frightened and thinking of their family members back home. This film parallels the two sides throughout and builds to a moving climax which really hits home the similarities between the troops.
The rest of the film is a little slow and repetitive in places although it holds together quite nicely overall. The action is well depicted at the outset, with a lengthy beach landing which surely must have inspired Spielberg to make the opening bit of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN; the two are photographed in almost identical ways and BEACH RED's action is almost as brutal. The young cast give good turns, particularly Rip Torn, and the photography is fine. The only thing I would change is the use of still photography in the flashback scenes, which dates it a bit.
What I particularly liked about this film is its stylistic approach, courtesy of Wilde. Most American '60s Pacific War-themed movies simply depict the Japanese enemy as faceless aggressors or even worse as evil demons. Here, they're no different to their American counterparts, frightened and thinking of their family members back home. This film parallels the two sides throughout and builds to a moving climax which really hits home the similarities between the troops.
The rest of the film is a little slow and repetitive in places although it holds together quite nicely overall. The action is well depicted at the outset, with a lengthy beach landing which surely must have inspired Spielberg to make the opening bit of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN; the two are photographed in almost identical ways and BEACH RED's action is almost as brutal. The young cast give good turns, particularly Rip Torn, and the photography is fine. The only thing I would change is the use of still photography in the flashback scenes, which dates it a bit.