John Twist (screenplay by), Raoul Walsh (based on a story by)
Stars:
Tom Tryon, David Hedison, Tom Reese
This is a straightforward, unexceptional story about a platoon of Marines taken out of battle in Korea for some R & R in Tokyo, and then sent back to the front lines again. The four men are stereotypes found in many war stories: the simpatico country boy, the intellect though not overtly so, a rich, suave type, and a hard-as-nails tough-guy leader. These four friends are first seen in combat situations, then encountering all sorts of misadventures in Japan before they have to push off to do battle again. This was the penultimate film of director Raoul Walsh (who also provided the story for the script), unusual because he started directing in 1915 -- his career spanned fifty years.