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The Lost Patrol

Play trailer Poster for The Lost Patrol 1934 1h 14m War Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 65% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
A British patrol is crossing the deserts of Mesopotamia during World War I when the commanding officer is suddenly struck down by an unseen sniper. Their sergeant (Victor McLaglen) suddenly finds himself in charge of the surviving members of his regiment, with no idea where they are or what their mission is. Barricaded at a desert oasis and surrounded by enemy snipers, with no way of summoning reinforcements, the sergeant is forced to call for volunteers for a suicide mission.
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The Lost Patrol

Critics Reviews

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Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Sep 27
3.5/4
An exciting (if relentlessly grim) adventure yarn. Go to Full Review Michael E. Grost Classic Film and Television 08/22/2014
Visionary look at a group of doomed soldiers, grippingly told and styled, with an experimental feel. Go to Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid 03/28/2013
Ford and his longtime screenwriter Dudley Nichols center on character interaction and keep the action mainly off-camera for a startlingly tense film. Go to Full Review Michael W. Phillips, Jr. Goatdog's Movies 05/04/2011
4/5
A mostly successful experiment in minimalism that allows Ford to work with his traditional themes. Go to Full Review Fernando F. Croce CinePassion 09/25/2009
John Ford's horror hallucination, which begins with Kipling but is positioned towards Borges (and the search for Weapons of Mass Destruction) Go to Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 01/07/2007
B
Seems archaic, as it has not dated that well. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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bruce F @bruce999 Aug 15 interesting drama, as a group of soldiers tries to survive in the desert. See more Jithin K @Jithin 01/20/2025 A bit of a dated experimental film that seems to have inspired a lot of better films. While it tries to show the psychological toll on soldiers, it can't help but be silly and not very three-dimensional. Was glad at the end because I didn't have to spend more time with these obnoxious characters which might not be what you want when you make a movie that wants to be sympathetic to the soldiers. See more Thomas M @TMProofreader 02/01/2019 The best thrilling movie ever made! See more s r @ScottR 09/01/2016 A patrol stranded in the desert that drives them to all sorts of unusual behavior. See more 04/03/2016 Interesting - primarily for historical reasons. The story is extremely simple/2-dimensional and the film feels small, despite huge talents behind it. The acting is good. It is neat seeing these old desert pictures. See more 02/19/2014 Though at times as dry as it's setting, the film is punctuated by moments of sentiment and tragedy. See more Read all reviews
The Lost Patrol

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Cast & Crew

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John Ford

Director

Victor McLaglen

The Sergeant

Boris Karloff

Sanders

Wallace Ford

Morelli

Reginald Denny

Brown

J.M. Kerrigan

Quincannon

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The Lost Patrol

The Lost Patrol (1934) The Lost Patrol (1934) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A British patrol is crossing the deserts of Mesopotamia during World War I when the commanding officer is suddenly struck down by an unseen sniper. Their sergeant (Victor McLaglen) suddenly finds himself in charge of the surviving members of his regiment, with no idea where they are or what their mission is. Barricaded at a desert oasis and surrounded by enemy snipers, with no way of summoning reinforcements, the sergeant is forced to call for volunteers for a suicide mission.
Director
John Ford
Producer
Cliff Reid
Screenwriter
Dudley Nichols, Garrett Fort
Distributor
RKO Radio Pictures
Production Co
RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Genre
War
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 16, 1934, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 21, 2016
Runtime
1h 14m
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