Surrender Hell! (1959)

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This is an uneven wartime drama about the exploits of an actual American G.I., Lt. Donald Blackburn (Keith Andes), caught in the Philippines during the Japanese occupation. The Lieutenant is forced farther and farther into the brush as he first reluctantly agrees to head up a village contingent of… More This is an uneven wartime drama about the exploits of an actual American G.I., Lt. Donald Blackburn (Keith Andes), caught in the Philippines during the Japanese occupation. The Lieutenant is forced farther and farther into the brush as he first reluctantly agrees to head up a village contingent of resistance fighters and then has to leave and go into the more remote mountains, and headhunter territory. There he recruits the help of the headhunters, trains them, and leads the capture of several provinces. Before MacArthur can finally invade, the film has been highlighted by exotic jungle scenes, Filipino street scenes, gorgeous landscapes, realistic battle scenes, sensual scenes with two lovely women (Paraluman and Susan Cabot in romantic interludes with the Lieutenant), and several other upbeat touches. These pluses, however, do not eliminate the caricatures that pass for characterizations, or a tendency toward a superficial, two-dimensional approach. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi