Main Cast: Richard Widmark, Jack Palance, Robert Wagner, Karl Malden, Jack Webb, Reginald Gardiner, Richard Hylton
Release Year: 1950
Country: US
Run Time: 113 minutes
Plot
In Halls of Montezuma, Richard Widmark stars as Lt. Carl Anderson, a former schoolteacher who serves as a no-nonsense Marine officer during WW II. Anderson leads his patrol to a Japanese-controlled island, where the enemy has set up an experimental rocket base. The patrol's mission is to capture prisoners for interrogation, which proves a near-insurmountable task given the fact that the Americans are heavily outnumbered. Among the grime-covered Marines are Walter (Jack) Palance, Robert Wagner, Karl Malden, Richard Boone, Skip Homeier and Neville Brand. Jack Webb is a chain-smoking war correspondent, while Reginald Gardiner shows up as an aristocratic--but very tough--British officer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Halls of Montezuma is a cracking good war film. A tribute to the bravery of those who fight the battles on the ground and in the most dangerous of circumstances, Halls is also notable for not being as gung-ho about war as some other similar films from the period are. While there's never any doubt as to the rightness of the cause for which these men are fighting, it isn't all about glory; there's doubt, fear, despair and melancholy to be found among these men. And while the film abounds in period racial epithets, there's even some willingness to admit that the enemy is human as well. Halls has its flaws, including some clichés among its cast of characters and some dialogue that tries far too hard. But Lewis Milestone's muscular yet affecting direction helps pave over the smooth spots, and the battle sequences he and cinematographers Winton Hoch and Harry Jackson concoct are enormously effective. Richard Widmark is aces as the leader with a secret, and everyone else from Jack Palance and Karl Malden to Robert Wagner and Richard Boone turn in solid performances; even Jack Webb is livelier and less wooden than usual. All in all, an exciting film for fans of war movies. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Richard Boone - Lt. Col. Gilfilan; Skip Homeier - Pretty Boy; Don Hicks - Lt. Butterfield; Bert Freed - Slattery; Neville Brand - Sgt. Zelenko; Marion Marshall - Nurse; Martin Milner - Private Whitney; Philip Ahn - Nomura; Howard Chuman - Capt. Makino; Frank Kumagai - Romeo; Fred Coby - Capt. McCreavy; Paul Lees - Capt. Seaman; Fred Dale - Pharmacist's Mate; Chris Drake - Frank; George Conrad - Corpsman; Harry McKim - Radio Man; Bob McLean - Marine Guard; William H. Hawes - Paskowicz; Roger McGee - Davis; Clarke Stevens - Recruit; Helen Hatch - Aunt Emma; Michael Road - Ship's Captain; Richard Allan - Pvt. Stewart; Harry Carter - Boatswain's Mate; Rollin Moriyama - Fukado; Jack Lee - Courier
