It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

This was, of course, a sequel to "Bataan:, a much better action war picture than "Back To Bataan", which comes perilously close to 'pot boiler' status. Lots of dialogue and extended treks through dense jungle, but then saved by two very good fire fights. Sequels never are as good as the original, and that's true here - even with John Wayne in charge.This picture contains one of the most far-fetched sequences ever recorded on film, as Anthony Quinn gets permission to leave the tense Philippine jungle fighting to visit his girlfriend in Manila! I almost lowered my rating by a couple of stars, but John Wayne gave the order - who's going to argue with the Duke?6/10 - The IMDb website no longer prints my star rating.

. . . as "Capt. Andres Bonifacio," who leads his countrymen in a three-year battle to liberate their nation from the Imperialist Japanese Occupiers through a courageous campaign of guerrilla warfare. While high-ranking U.S. military officers were popularizing the Game of Golf in Australia, and their Yankee enlisted men and subordinate squad coordinators from the rank of lieutenant on down (including the twelve freed Real Life P.O.W.s shown marching to the song "California, Here We Come" during BACK TO BATAAN) starved in Prison Camps (if they had not been first shot in the head or clubbed to death like Baby Seals during the "Bataan Death March"), the Filipinos took Destiny by the horns and galloped to Freedom. One of my Great Grandmothers attended a Midwestern college located next to a World War II American P.O.W. facility, and she said the prisoners there ate like kings. BACK TO BATAAN shows that the nefarious Axis tricked us into having them Eat Our Lunch in the 1940s. With Today's freeways being clogged by convoys of Japanese, Italian, and German makes (such as Toyota, Chrysler, and Mercedes), it's obvious that the Axis is having the "Last Laugh" by STILL eating out lunch!

Very uplifting WWII action film starring John Wayne as Col Joseph Madden, who volunteers to stay behind after the fall of the Philippines in the early months of war. The Japanese are wanting complete control of the islands and surviving population; but Madden is fervent in gathering Filipino resistance in preparation for the return of General MacArthur. This is a high quality flag-waver filmed during WWII. Wayne is impeccable and at his two-fisted best with a very strong supporting cast. Anthony Quinn plays a young Filipino trying to live up to his folk-hero father's reputation. There is also Beulah Bondi, Paul Fix, 'Ducky' Louie, Richard Lo, Philip Ann, Lawrence Tierney and Abner Biberman.

While this film is a tad heavy from time to time with propaganda elements, in many ways this war film stands well above the usual crowd of jingoistic American war films. Now I am NOT being critical saying the films are "jingoistic", as this was positive propaganda that slightly exaggerated the truth in order to unify the country against the Japanese. After all, we were at war and Japan had conquered most of the Pacific. But films made during the war often sacrificed reality in order to deliver the message--such as in AIR FORCE when a B-17 bomber almost single-handedly wipes out half the Japanese planes!! Fortunately, beneath the occasionally heavy-handed patriotism, the film itself was a very good representation of the war in the Philippines. This, combined with excellent action scenes and better than average acting make this a film worth seeing. In particular, other than IN HARMS WAY, this is John Wayne's best WWII film, as his acting is a little less "bigger than life" and more realistic. Also, if you liked this film, I also strongly recommend BATAAN (starring a surprisingly macho Robert Taylor). This film focuses on the fall of Bataan and BACK TO BATAAN is a great companion piece as it focuses not only on this but its reconquest. Top notch entertainment and a decent history lesson to boot!