In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Obscure, gritty independent war pic that I saw 20+ years ago on TV has remained vivid for good reason. Wilde dispensed with his Hollywood profile some years before this directorial effort, but nothing he did matches this for sheer intensity, and, graphic content.I was most impressed with (at the time) newcomer Burr DeBenning who went on to become a TV staple over the next decade, his youthful Southern simpleton perfectly characterises the faux bravado of a naive debutante. Torn reminded me of an Aldo Ray type in this film, rough edges down and dirty - a very workmanlike performance - whilst Wilde was more or less the typical clichéd leader, and a good neutral base for the other characters to expand.The opening scene is shocking (especially considering its vintage) and whilst it does sometimes lose momentum in parts, there's always the promise of something unpredictable, such is Wilde's unorthodox approach to filmmaking. It's unconventional, rejects any jingoistic notions or romantic interludes, and really stays true to its central theme sans the Hollywood gloss which is a welcome diversion from the norm. Expect the unexpected.

Released in 1967, "Beach Red" details a US Marine assault on a Japanese-held Pacific island during WWII, possibly Saipan (June-July 1944) or Guam (July-August 1944). Cornel Wilde stars as the captain in charge of a platoon; Rip Torn plays a sergeant who's allowed the war to fill him with hate; Burr DeBenning, Patrick Wolfe and Jaime Sánchez co-star as genuine young Americans struggling between fulfilling their duty and simply wanting to survive.I call the film "Groundbreaking" because of the obvious influence it had on two popular war flicks made thirty years later – "Saving Private Ryan" and, especially, "The Thin Red Line." The first half hour chronicles the brutal beach landing, which is very reminiscent of the former film while the next 20 minutes show the troops infiltrating the interior a la the latter. After the first 12 minutes intro, the next 45-50 minutes are all action. The interior monologues of the characters, the flashbacks to life back at home and the contrast between war and the innocence & beauty of nature were all borrowed by Terrance Malick for "The Thin Red Line." That said, "Beach Red" itself borrows from previous films, like 1957's "The Bridge on the River Kwai" and the original "The Thin Red Line" from 1964, amongst others. Unfortunately, "Beach Red" lacks the budget of the renowned "River Kwai," but it ain't no cheap flick either.The film typically gets mixed reviews with some people calling it a masterpiece and others a 1-Star piece of sheet. The former focus on the film's positives while the latter zero-in on its shortcomings, which revolve around its relative low-budget and datedness. I was able to overlook these deficiencies in favor of the movie's realistic, pensive and brutal tone and all-around ambitiousness. The single musical theme is a melancholic and moving folk song by Antonino Buenaventura sung by Cornel's wife Jean Wallace. Wilde impressively wrote and directed the movie. It's an action-packed war flick, but also artistic, reflective and haunting. Neanderthalic gung-ho types love the former, but are turned-off by the latter, which explains the mixed reviews.The movie runs 105 minutes and was shot in the Philippines and Japan.GRADE: B+

Long before Saving Private Ryan and the notice taken of the rather graphic combat sequences, Cornel Wilde produced, directed, and starred in Beach Red which was 30 years before Saving Private Ryan. Wilde got the same knocks and criticism for his film. And he also received a lot of deserved acclaim.The plot such as it is a study of a campaign on some forgotten Pacific island that the US Marines are trying to take from the Japanese. Wilde plays the captain of a platoon and his gunnery sergeant is Rip Torn. Wilde also narrates the film from flashback and within the film itself are flashbacks into civilian life both the Marines and the defending Japanese soldiers have. Also in Wilde's own flashback is his wife Jean Wallace whom he always tried to have parts for in his films.The marines land and the Japanese retreat as per usual in Pacific war films and the war itself. However the Japanese captain, Wilde's opposite number Dale Ishimoto has a rather clever idea for a counterattack. I won't reveal what it is you have to see Beach Red for that.Wilde himself plays a tough, but fair commanding officer. Two marine privates Patrick Wolfe and Burr DeBenning present an interesting contrast in enlistees. Their good natured rivalry carries a lot of the film.As a harbinger of Saving Private Ryan, Beach Red was years ahead of its time. If you are a fan of war films, you cannot go wrong with Beach Red.

A platoon of American soldiers lead by the rugged, but humane Captain MacDonald (superbly played by Cornel Wilde) and the mean, bloodthirsty Gunnery Sergeant Honeywell (a chilling performance by the always excellent Rip Torn) embark on a dangerous mission to find a Japanese base on a remote island in the Pacific. Wilde's steady, assured, if rather ragged direction and the gritty, incisive script by Wilde, Don Peters and Clint Johnston astutely nails the chaos, horror and brutality of war: the movie opens on a gripping note with a fierce and harrowing protracted battle sequence, the violence is shockingly gory and graphic (arms are blown off, severed limbs litter the ground, mangled bodies are strewn about, and so on), the characters' thoughts serve as philosophical narration, the tone remains stark, frank and unflinching throughout, and there are poignant flashbacks for both the American and Japanese soldiers alike in order to show how everyone is basically the same. This picture further benefits from strong and convincing acting by a tip-top cast, with especially praiseworthy work by Burr DeBenning as hearty country boy Private Egan, Patrick Wayne as the naive, amiable Private Joseph Joshua Cliff, Jean Wallace as McDonald's sweet, bubbly wife Julie (Wallace also sings the hauntingly melancholy theme song), and Jaime Sanchez as easygoing smartaleck Private Columbo. Cecil R. Cooney's plain, no-frills cinematography really throws the viewer into the thick of the bloody combat and frightening carnage. Moreover, this movie earns extra points for its even treatment of the Japanese, who are shown as being just as scared and human as the American soldiers. It's this latter admirable component of compassion for all humanity which in turn makes this film so incredibly powerful and provocative.