Merrill's Marauders (1962)

This probably was not Sam Fuller's lowest budget movie. In fact, if the information here on IMDb is correct, it had a fairly decent budget. But I suspect that makes no difference at all to his style or the movie that he made. There is no CGI, no jump cuts and no shaky-cam. He got his actors to act and made effective use of pyrotechnics and extras to put realistic and horrifying battle on film.I am not a prolific reviewer, in fact I probably average 2 or 3 reviews a year. That's because I normally only bother when a movie makes me feel something (or it really makes me mad). It might be laughter or it might be horror but to me a worthwhile movie has to make you react. And this movie certainly does that. The story is worth telling but like most of Fuller's work the focus is really on the people and not on glory. The acting is superb and supremely believable. The actors in this movie aren't really known for award quality work but they really impress here. Samuel Fuller ignores the usual formulaic tropes and tells the story his way. There's an unneeded intro and a bombastic outro that I suspect were added by the studio but it starts where it starts and ends where it ends. No attempts to make a neat little package.The story is gripping and Fuller makes you feel like you have a personal interest in the outcome. His writing is top notch and tight with no filler. There is no obligatory love interest in this movie and no cheesy flashbacks either. It's relentless and often grim but always effective. I'm not a historian but I feel that it captures the essence of the real life battles.His direction is masterful. From the claustrophobic to the panoramic he makes the land itself an important character in the film. And he gets amazingly good performances from his actors. You can feel their pain and exhaustion.Jeff Chandler is more believable than in any other role that I can think of him playing. Most people have likely forgotten that he was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Cochise in Broken Arrow. That was over-shadowed by the the fact that most of his roles were in B and C-grade pictures. Personally I would rate most of his work as competent but not impressive. However I was very impressed by his portrayal of General Merrill. Sadly this was his last film. He died of complications from back surgery before it was released.One other stand out was Claude Akins. A very competent character actor who really shines in his role as Sergeant Kolowicz. There is a scene with him and a young native boy and an old woman that blew me away. Not a word of dialogue but he makes you feel his pain and it made me tear up in sympathy.The only bad part about this movie is the knowledge that we will never see it's like again. Give one of today's hotshot directors 500 times the budget and he will probably spend 200 million on CGI that will be impressive as heck but won't really make you feel anything at a visceral level. I suspect that it's a difference in life experience. Sam Fuller and most of the actors in this movie actually lived and fought through the Second World War.

Based on the true story of a brigadier general who led his troops through Burma during World War II despite fatigue and starvation, 'Merrill's Marauders' might sound like a simple slice of history, but with Samuel Fuller at the helm it is more than that. Fuller apparently did not have full control over the film, and the flag-waving, sentimental ending and heavy exposition early on ensure that the film starts and ends on a weak note. The bulk of the movie is very well done though, and as per 'Verboeten!' and 'Fixed Bayonets!', the film benefits from Fuller's penchant for dialogue over action scenes in his war movies. The battle scenes are in fact quite dull with lots of explosive noises but limited bloodshed or carnage - something that actually helps the dialogue scenes stand out. Memorable bits include the soldiers discussing lost time (they can't work out whether it is 'a.m.' or 'p.m.', let alone the day of the week), the soldiers debating how much Merrill really cares about them over his objective, and Merrill reluctantly accepting orders to keep his men fighting on for longer than they had agreed without food (there is a haunting part when one soldier rushes to some parachuted supplies). The film's best asset though is probably Jeff Chandler's commanding lead performance, having to hide his character's health problems and show a strong face to his men despite having mixed feelings about the mission himself. Chandler was reportedly quite unwell during filming, which no doubt helped him carve such a realistic performance; sadly he passed away before the film was even released.

This film is about a unit that fought hard and suffered horrific attrition rates while fighting in Burma during World War II. It specifically focuses on the grueling and exhausting struggle they made to complete the objective against all odds.MERRILL'S MARAUDERS is a decent war film, though it's hardly one that stands above the genre. While it does receive high marks for not being overly sensational or adding unnecessary story elements, the film also seems a tad sterile and unsatisfying when all is said and done. Now perhaps I might not have felt this so strongly had the film not been directed by Sam Fuller--a guy very capable of making better war films (my personal favorite of his is STEEL HELMET--a very realistic and gritty Korean War film made on a minuscule budget). Fuller did well in not over-glamorizing the soldiers but because he didn't provide much in the way of character development, you really don't particularly care who wins or dies. This is really evident near the end when the general (Jeff Chandler) falls to the ground--does he have a fatal heart attack or is he okay? The film never even bothers to tell! And that is very telling about the soul of this film--very competent but not especially involving.

A great movie featuring the forgotten CBI theatre of operations in WWII. Superb acting and action with a wonderful cast! It would be nice to have this film on DVD widescreen. This film has historical references that add educational value to the film and for the viewers. The China Burma India theatre of operations has been ignored almost completely by Hollywood, which is a shame because of the significance of the historical importance associated with it. There are many compelling stories connected to this region of the world in WWII, including the B-29's, Air Transport Command, Burma & Lido Roads, The Flying Tigers, and the flight over "The Hump" of the Himilayan Mountains and the dangers associated with it. The Japanese were stopped in Burma by Britsh, American and Chinese troops and it would be interesting to see their efforts put on film as they were in "Merrill's Marauders".