Battle Cry Details

It may seem dated today, but this impressive Warner Bros drama based on Leon Uris's semi-fictional account of his own wartime experiences still packs a terrific emotional punch in the hands of director Raoul Walsh. It is exceptionally well cast, with a key star-making role for Tab Hunter, though top-billed Van Heflin has little to do but act gritty as the leader of “Huxley's Harlots”. Watch out, too, for Justus E McQueen as LQ Jones, who took his professional name from the character he portrays here. There's also a rousing Oscar-nominated score by the great Max Steiner. Only the Warner-imposed phoney ending upsets the battle plan.

Interminable cheapie epic with both eyes on the box-office: the cast salvages an odd moment or two, but violence of all kinds is the key to the entertainment.