Beach Red (1967)

44% of users liked it
(1,817 ratings)

Cornel Wilde produced, directed, and stars in this sincere, hard-edged look at World War II that doesn't flinch from the horrors of battle. The action takes place during a single American campaign to take an island held by the Japanese. Brief flashbacks to civilian life are the only escape from the… More Cornel Wilde produced, directed, and stars in this sincere, hard-edged look at World War II that doesn't flinch from the horrors of battle. The action takes place during a single American campaign to take an island held by the Japanese. Brief flashbacks to civilian life are the only escape from the gritty, dreary setting. The usual cliché characters are replaced by new ones, such as the captain (Wilde) who loves his wife but hates the war, the sergeant (Rip Torn) who gets sadistic pleasure out of battle, the minister's son (Patrick Wolfe) who keeps remembering the girl he left back home, and the Southern illiterate (Burr DeBenning) who finds a place for himself in the Marines. The screenplay (from a 1945 novel by Peter Bowman) avoids stereotypes yet doesn't make any of these men into fleshed-out characters. Still, the acting is solid and Wilde deserves commendation for taking a harsh, unromanticized look at the Big One, over thirty years before Steven Spielberg did it with Saving Private Ryan. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 45 min.
Directed By: Cornel Wilde
Written By: Peter Bowman, Clint Johnston
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics

In Theaters: Aug 3, 1967 Wide
On DVD: Apr 19, 2005

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Cornel Wilde (better known as actor) directed and starrted in this brutal, Oscar-nominated WWII drama, which offers a very focused view of men in combat
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
This neglected war film is as rough and tumble as any Sam Fuller film, as poignant a reflection of the racial divides in the military as any WW11 film made before the 1960s.
Shane Burridge, rec.arts.movies.reviews
Despite all the action and violence it's the peaceful moments that linger

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Featured Audience Ratings

Randy T

Time has not been kind to <i>Beach Red</i>. With one or two notable exceptions, this is 105 minutes of second rate actors playing soldier. I understand what Wilde was trying to accomplish but the endless flashbacks are tediously heavy handed and the film winds up looking… More
Time has not been kind to <i>Beach Red</i>. With one or two notable exceptions, this is 105 minutes of second rate actors playing soldier. I understand what Wilde was trying to accomplish but the endless flashbacks are tediously heavy handed and the film winds up looking contrived and unrealistic.
Dean !

One of the best wars films I have seen made pre 90's. Has tons of action on a grand scale.