Drama / War
1945 / 135 minutes
RATING: 7/10

John Wayne stars as one of the WWII naval officers intent on proving that small, fast “PT boats” (basically motor boats) could be an effective fighting force. While many details are fudged, the overall initiative – to set wood-hulled PT boats up against much bigger ships – is a part of history.

It starts in 1941, with Lieutenant John Brickley’s experimental squadron of PT boats getting their first showcase in front of the senior command. Despite a great showing, the admiral is unimpressed. The boats are maneuverable, he concedes, but he’d prefer to be in something bigger and more substantial. To make matters worse, Brickley’s own executive officer, Rusty Ryan (John Wayne) feels the same. He wants in on the fighting, and if these boats are going to be in the battle, he wants a transfer.

When the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, it’s all hands on deck across the Pacific, except Brickley’s Philippines-based squadron – their boats are relegated to mail and message delivery. But as the Japanese advance on the Philippines, the squadron’s base is attacked, and the PT boats finally get their chance to show what they can do, taking on a Japanese cruiser.

Cautions

Considering this is a war film, it’s remarkable how minimal the concerns are. Sure, there is some violence, but nothing graphic. We see bombs and torpedoes and ships exploding, but that’s all at a distance. We see fire and smoke, but not bodies.

Maybe the one warning I’ll offer is that this does not have the typical happy ending of most films. It ends on a downbeat, because the US has just gotten kicked right off the Philippines, and everyone knows there is a lot more fighting to go… and in the short-term it isn’t going to go well for the US. But the film also ends with hope – they will be back.

Conclusion

While this was released after World War II ended, it was filmed early in 1945 while the fighting was still ongoing, and it shows. This was made to inspire friends and family on the homefront to keep up their efforts and push through to the finish line.

While this is a favorite film for many, it is slower paced because, despite all the action onscreen, it isn’t really an action film. This is a tribute to all those behind the development of the PT boats, who pushed on despite plenty of resistance from their higher-ups, and it shows how these boats went on to play a vital role in the Pacific war effort.

That slower pacing, and that it’s black and white, mean this might be a hard sell as a family film… though dad could throw it onto the TV while the kids are around and not worry about what they might see. This is for anyone interested in history, and films that educate even as they entertain – They Were Expendable highlights a chapter of World War II history you’ve probably never heard of before.