Movie review - "Yesterday's Enemy" (1959) **1/2

Remarkably bleak war film from Hammer, which they made as a less racist companion piece to The Camp of Blood Island. Typical of Val Guest movies it starts with a bang - a bunch of British soldiers in World War Two Burma are fleeing from the Japs in a swamp (I was never sure whether this was during the British retreat or advance), stumble upon a village occupied by enemy soldiers, and capture it. Then it starts to slow down and the stage origins of the story become increasingly apparent. I've got no idea how accurate this is but a lot of it didn't ring true - would chaplains and war correspondents really argue with a captain about strategy? I get that they are opposed to shooting prisoners - but would they dispute him with the men around? Would they talk about it so much?

Anyway, the soldiers discover an important map which they need back at HQ - Stanley Baker (very good) sends back his trusted sergeant (Gordon Jackson, solid as always) to get it... but Jackson is captured and killed. Only Baker doesn't know it. So the last half hour Baker thinks he's done his job but he hasn't - he and his men are captured, then they are all killed! Full on!

This wasn't always satisfying but it's consistently interesting, and it goes there: Baker does have innocent villagers shot to get a spy to talk, he shoots the spy, his men are all captured and killed, he is killed (although he does earn the respect of the cultured English speaking Japanese officer who tells Baker's bullet-riddled corpse "that's what I should have done"). There's also a very ironic ending with a speech from a British general praising the bravery of his men playing over the corpses over the men and a cut to the Kohima memorial quote.

Strong cast including Guy Rolfe, Bryan Forbes, Leo McKern (playing another journalist) and Percy Herbert. This and Never Take Candy from a Stranger really mean Hammer's dramatic output need re-considering.