VividSimon Simply Perfect

TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Derry Herrera Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

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

ben hibburd Ambush Bay is directed by Ron Winston. It tells the story of a Marine unit on a Japanese-held island in the Philippines, that tries to hook up with local Filipino guerrillas. The film sees Hugh O'Brian star as Sgt. Corey. Mickey Rooney as Sgt. Wartell and James Mitchum as Pvt. Grenier. In terms of acting they all do a decent job. However their character development rarely goes beyond typical war film cliché.The direction is nothing to get excited about it mainly consists of steady cams that point and shoot. The score is one of my biggest gripes with the film. It's incredibly loud and obtrusive, which kept pulling me out of the film. On a positive note the film has some good action scenes, and it was nice to see a specialist unit that deals in stealth remain stealthy through most of the film.Whilst the film becomes Increasingly dull in its second act. The film does start too pick up when it enters into its third act. The team have too infiltrate a Japanese base then subsequently fight off overwhelmingly large enemy forces. These scenes are well shot, and the action is enjoyable, if somewhat predictable.With it's paper thin plot and poor characterisations, Ambush Bay is an inconsequential B movie that fails in every respect to elevate itself above the limitations of it's genre. If you want too relax on a Sunday afternoon, this film will do its job. However there are other films like The Wild Geese, Dirty Dozen that are more deserving of your attention.

TankGuy The year is 1944.Just prior to General Douglas Macarthur's Philippines campaign, a small team of crack marines arrive on the islands. Their mission, to make contact with a Japanese spy who has vital information regarding the landing of American troops on the islands. The group is commanded by 1st Sergeant Steve Corey(HUGH O'BRIEN).Taciturn and rugged, Corey refuses to reveal the objective of the mission, much to the irritation of the young and naïve radio operator,PFC James Grenier(JAMES MITCHUM)who does not yet take war or their mission seriously.However,as members of the group ate killed in bloody skirmishes with the occupying Japanese, even Corey begins to doubt his judgement and Grenier finally begins to accept the brutal realities of war as well as the task that he must carry out.I'll be straight to the point, AMBUSH BAY is certainly not the most spectacular war film, but it certainly is fun and satisfactory. I can't resist any of these "Dirty Dozen" style war film that were cranked out by United Artists in the late 1960s.I find the scenarios and situations created for their characters somewhat appealing, this is the case with this film. The storyline is fine, although it's nothing new, but the main selling point for the film is the 3 main characters, Steve Corey(played by HUGH O'BRIEN),Gunnery Sergeant Ernest Wartell(played by the late MICKEY ROONEY)and James Grenier(played by JAMES MITCHUM).All 3 are robust characters and are portrayed fantastically by their actors. A strong, as well as an intelligent script allowed both Corey and Grenier to have both meaningful and interesting backstories. Corey is the rough,tough,heartless warrior who's seen it all. He's the polar opposite to Grenier, who is the innocent young recruit, confused as to what's going on around him. His character narrates the film, which I thought was a great touch as his monologues are made up of some sharp dialogue. Under the pressure of the situation, he slowly makes the transition from boy to man which I found rather compelling. This is demonstrated brilliantly in the final scenes. Mickey Rooney's performance as Wartell was the one that stood out the most for me as he brings a little dash of comedic colour to an otherwise dark film. He regularly comes out with humorous wisecracks whilst remaining serious but positive. The scene in the jungle in which he stall a Japanese patrol using "Baked Potatoes"(or Hand Grenades)was quite amusing but sad at the same time. It is in this scene that Rooney's experience as a comedian shines through. The other characters,like the other Marines, were rather boring as they were killed off before they could really develop.The action scenes are exciting and tense, they're nicely peppered throughout the whole film. They comprise of small skirmishes in the jungle and one battle at the Japanese base at the climax. Although they were well shot, I found them rather dry and most of them looked similar. The director could have raised the roof a little more with the final battle, maybe by including a few more deaths and explosions. That being said, I did find that sequence very exhilarating as Corey guns down oncoming Japanese soldiers with a Machine gun and bombards them with Hand Grenades in true action hero fashion. I was biting my nails as Grenier detonates the sea mines using the base's radio control system in the midst of the fighting, thus making the final battle even more taut. The film ends on a heart wrenching but uplifting note with Grenier,now hardened by his experience, sitting alone on the beach as General Macarthur's victory "I have returned" speech blasts out of the radio.Director Ron Winston, who up until this film had worked only in TV, makes a staunch attempt at the film. Although it's boring in parts and drags on from time to time, AMBUSH BAY is an above average war drama and an engrossing character study of men in combat. It's definitely worth watching and is also an awesome way to kill a couple of hours on a dull Saturday afternoon.7/10.

Ospidillo Hollywood simply did not make enough of these great color, letterbox format, Pacific Theater, WW II films! Director Ron Winston did a fine job with this one which is one of the best I've seen. Baby Boomers, in particular, will be hot on this one.A young James Mitchum, (talented brother of Robert and John Mitchum), holds the starring role here over Hugh O'Brian and Mickey Rooney. Mitchum plays Private Grenier, a smart-aleck rookie U.S. Marine who has gotten himself shanghaied into a top secret special operation in the Phillipines during the Japanese occcupation. All the other marines, about a dozen of them, are highly-trained and experienced specialists in their respective fields. Mitchum, the radio guy, was grudgingly brought along as a last-minute replacement for the regular top communications specialist who came down with illness just prior to this imperative guerilla operation.They are secreted to the island by float-plane at night. Soon after entering the jungle, the Captain of the operation is killed during a desperate scuffle with some Japanese soldiers at their campfire. Hugh O'Brian, playing the Lieutenant, takes over command and he doesn't much like Mitchum, viewing the Private as trivial and immature. Mitchum is eventually told the purpose of the operation: A Phillipine guide will take them across the jungle island to the Japanese base where their contact person, a covert Allied agent, will provide information that is critical to MacArthur's immanent Allied re-invasion of the Phillipines. Thus, it will eventually fall on Mitchum, the most important member of the team in terms of duty, to convey this critical intelligence by radio.In yet another early confrontation with a small platoon of Japanese infantry, who are also equipped with a very cool little army tank, more Marines are killed and this also sets the Japanese hot on their trail through the jungle. Just before their destination is reached the Marine's native guide, the only person who knew who the identity of the contact agent, is killed -- Hugh O'Brian is forced to sneak into the Japanese-infested village and ferret out the contact agent at great risk. I'll have to stop here to avoid a SPOILER! One of the best features of this movie is the superb filmscore, composed and conducted by Richard LaSalle. It's one of those atmospheric sixty-ish scores reminiscent of those fine soundtracks previously conveyed by Hugo Friedhofer and Les Baxter. It really adds to the suspense and to the ambiance of this fine film.The abundance of tropical flora, great locations and sets, the super cinematography, and, the great casting additionally support the superb quality of the movie. Compare this film to yet another of these singular film treasures: "Never So Few" It's all really just first-class. If you enjoy World War II films, especially those concerning the Pacific Theater, you'll love this terrific 1966 entry. My highest recommendation!

J Keith Montz For standards of movie making decades later, the movie has its flaws but if you look past that, the plot is good and so is the acting. I enjoyed the nostalgia look at war movies where it was made close / somewhat close to when it happened and present day mannerisms, colloquial expressions and revisionist haven't taken too much of a overriding theme.The actors in this movie are thin which to me reflects what a true soldier living on rations would look like, they don't use foul language in every sentence nor do they talk about sex. The plot shows Americans with dedication to duty, callous to the death around them and respect for each other except for the character, Pfc James Grenier, played by James Mitchum. As you watch the movie you go from disliking Grenier to rooting for him as all of the members of the mission are killed off.