BIG MIKE-45

I normally don't complain about the realism of Hollywood's portrayal of the Armed Forces in it's movies, but this one is just too far out of bounds to let go. Marine recon units are the equivalent of Navy SEALS or Army Rangers. They are elite units, and discipline is strict. Back-talking your superior, whether officer or enlisted, is not tolerated a bit, and would not be attempted by junior enlisted men. Right away, you would have eliminated about half of the dialogue in this movie. Oh, well... They did get one thing right, though. Winners of the CMH (Congressional Medal of Honor) never have to salute anyone. They will always be saluted first, and will return the salute.

Cornelius Ryan's book "The Longest Day" was a masterpiece of writing, and the screen adaptation was no less of a masterpiece. The Sixties saw a lot of star-studded war movies (The Great Escape, The Dirty Dozen, etc.), yet this may have been the most ambitious of them all. I would highly recommend reading the book. It will make you appreciate the movie even more. The same can be said about "A Bridge Too Far", also written by Cornelius Ryan. Read the book, and then watch the movie again.

If this isn't the worst film I've ever seen, it's certainly in the top (or in this case, bottom) ten of all time. None of the characters are sympathetic in any way, and that's just the beginning of the problems with this movie. I forced myself to watch this thing all the way through, and at the end my only reaction was "huh?". That's not a very good sign. The fact that it was nominated for Best Picture of The Year tells me that the Motion Picture Academy people must not actually watch the movies that they nominate.