They Were Expendable

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They Were Expendable

1945

2h 15m

War

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

72%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

After a demonstration of new PT boats, navy brass are still unconvinced of their viability in combat, leaving Lt. "Rusty" Ryan frustrated. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, however, Ryan and his buddy Lt. Brickley are told they can finally take their squadron into battle. The PT boats quickly prove their worth, successfully shooting down Japanese planes, relaying messages between islands, and picking off a multitude of enemy ships.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Jun 11, 2023

... [John] Ford’s reminder to the American public that victory in the Pacific was reached at a tremendous cost in human life. It remains one of the most powerful war dramas ever made.

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Jack Moffitt

Esquire Magazine

Mar 10, 2020

The human element triumphs in almost every foot of They Were Expendable.

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Nathanael Hood

The Retro Set

Dec 28, 2018

9/10

They Were Expendable was the first time [Ford] would loose the weight of his experiences on a general audience.

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Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

Sep 18, 2008

The real star of the film is the gorgeous, luminous, mostly outdoor black-and-white cinematography.

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Jan 8, 2007

B+

The most unfortunate thing about John Ford's excellent, elegiac war film, with a strong turn from John Wayne, was its release date, December 1945, since the war was over.

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bruce F

@bruce999 Aug 15, 2026

exciting navy war drama. almost feels like you are there... with a widescreen, big screen. nice love drama too. fun to watch

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Leaburn O

@RT35452347 Jul 24, 2024

I love a war film but seemingly unlike most, I found this one of the worst I’ve ever seen. Stilted, wooden and lacking drama, pretty much the embodiment of any John Wayne performance but can be extended to the whole production. This was interminably dull and contrived, static acting. The actual war scenes were ludicrous and so unconvincing that you’d think a seven year old had dreamed them up. This is not good at all. Watched on DVD.

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j f

@LiberteBurrows May 27, 2024

Awesome action scenes

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Aug 23, 2021

Probably one of the best films made about a war while the war was still in progress, They Were Expendable contains sole truly astounding sequences for its time.

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Aug 2, 2021

A great John Ford movie about real human experiences and the varied reactions normal people have in trying times. If you like the current hollywood movies that are more like video games than reality you won't like this movie.

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Jul 28, 2020

Robert Montgomery steals this movie from John Wayne. Understated and quietly heroic, the film eschews the usual Hollywood hype for a detailing of what the early days of the war were actually like: confusing, grim, disappointing, real. Marvelously suspenseful and, as usual, beautifully photographed by John Ford. A heart-tugger.

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John Ford

Director

Robert Montgomery

Director

Robert Montgomery

Lt. John Brickley

John Wayne

Lt. (j.g.) "Rusty" Ryan

Donna Reed

2nd Lt. Sandy Davys

Jack Holt

Gen. Martin

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Synopsis

After a demonstration of new PT boats, navy brass are still unconvinced of their viability in combat, leaving Lt. "Rusty" Ryan frustrated. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, however, Ryan and his buddy Lt. Brickley are told they can finally take their squadron into battle. The PT boats quickly prove their worth, successfully shooting down Japanese planes, relaying messages between islands, and picking off a multitude of enemy ships.

Director: John Ford, Robert Montgomery
Producer: John Ford
Screenwriter: William L. White, Frank Wead
Distributor: MGM Home Entertainment
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Genre: War
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 20, 1945, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2009
Runtime: 2h 15m
Sound Mix: Mono

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