There was a brief period when Japanese-themed war films were popular in British cinema - due, I guess, to Bridge on the River Kwai: Camp on Blood Island, Yesterday's Enemy (also about a patrol in Burma) and this.
George MacDonald Fraser took this film to task in his book about Hollywood historical movies because of its inaccuracies. He had served in Burma - I've never been near the place, let alone had any sort of military service, but it didn't feel that real to me either: carrying on about cigarettes, agonising ceaselessly over shooting prisoners, arguing constantly in front of the enemy, being unable to stab a soldier on patrol, etc, etc.
It was originally a play a maybe it worked on stage, with cramped intensity, but it doesn't here. It feels stagey - a bunch of actors standing around yelling at each other most of the time (although there is some action at the end). Richard Harris looks impressive but isn't really; I felt the best performances were from Richard Todd (whose underplaying is a relief next to Laurence Harvey), Australia's own John Meillon, and Ronald Fraser.
Laurence Harvey is spectacularly bad, mugging all over the shop with an outrageous accent - it really is appalling work, and you could weep when you hear that Peter O'Toole played the role on stage and was available for the film, but the producers wanted a bigger name. Not that I think he would have saved the film.
It was heavy going.
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