Rat Kings And Pesky Bridges — ‘Tales Of Adventure: Collection 6’ Reviewed

War… what is it good for? Not much, but it can make for some good movies, as this box set from Imprint can attest:

Zoltan Korda‘s Counter-Attack (1945)

Counter-Attack is a propaganda war film but, like other propaganda war films (including Fritz Lang‘s Manhunt and Powell and Pressburger‘s Contraband) ,that doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining when viewed as a movie and not as an accurate representation of WWII. It’s pure Hollywood nonsense, for example, that Paul Muni is supposed to be a Russian paratrooper despite in no way coming across as Russian, but that’s consistent with the other “Russian” paratroopers in his unit, as well as the “German” soldiers that Muni gets trapped with when the building they’re in collapses. Muni is technically still in control (he’s the one with the guns), but he’s seriously outnumbered, with only Comrade Lisa (Marguerite Chapman) as support. He’s also been going without sleep for a while (as the film makes a point of emphasizing when he’s caught reading instead of taking a nap like he’s supposed to), so now if he falls asleep before a rescue party finds them the Nazis will seize power.

It’s an interesting film, from a historical perspective, for capturing a moment in time when an American film studio would want to make a positive film about the Russians. A film like Counter-Attack would be unthinkable only a few years later during McCarthyism and the Cold War.

The scene where they parachute into Germany reminded me of A Bridge Too Far (also available on Blu-ray from Imprint), or the anti-A Bridge Too Far, in that that film showed what could go wrong when parachuting and in this one you see them jumping out of the plane and then the film cuts to them walking – no one hurt, no one separated from the group, right as rain. Propaganda. The underwater bridge construction scenes are really neat as well and are something I haven’t seen in a war film before. Had this been made in the sixties it probably wouldn’t have taken the Russians’ perspective, but it’s easy to imagine an actor like Charles Bronson in the Muni role. I went into this film with low expectations, but it definitely surpassed them.

Richard Sale‘s Abandon Ship! (1957)

Abandon Ship! is the only film in this box set that wouldn’t necessarily be classified as a war film. True, if it weren’t for WWII there wouldn’t be undetonated mines in the ocean for unsuspecting cruise ships to hit, but that’s neither here nor there by the time this film begins. The point is that no SOS signal was sent before their ship sank. Now with only one small boat at their disposal and more survivors than that boat can handle, it falls on Tyrone Power‘s Alec to make decisions for the greater good that are not going to be popular. To anyone who might doubt that this film is going to be willing to go there, think again, because it doesn’t get much darker than this movie. That includes making the man in charge a very flawed and self-righteous human being. While there’s an undeniable cold logic to some of the choices Alec makes, he’s also biased and arbitrary in his calls, and while every viewer’s line will be different, you can be certain yours will be crossed at some point between the sexism, ageism, and racism on display at different moments. The passengers he’s doing this for are far from innocent either, making Abandon Ship! a grim viewing experience that’s probably not inaccurate, but that’s why it’s depressing.

Bryan Forbes‘ King Rat (1965)

One of my personal favorite war films of all time (and one that’s been crying out for a physical media release), Imprint’s King Rat is disappointingly barebones but that doesn’t mean this movie’s fans will be able to resist it (and at least it’s part of a strong box set). George Segal stars as Corporal King, an American who’s situated himself as top dog at a Japanese prisoner of war time. He’s the guy it pays to get in with – the guy who can somehow procure the impossible through shady dealings, and who has managed to cultivate as cushy a lifestyle as can be cultivated in a POW camp. A lot of the character dynamics are very similar to a prison movie. James Fox also stars as the British soldier who becomes closest to King, while Tom Courtney does an amazing turn as King’s antagonist and rule follower who is determined to catch King in the act so he can expose his crooked dealings. It’s the kind of sourpuss role you’d expect to be played by an older actor (like Hume Cronyn and Burt Lancaster‘s dynamic in the prison break film, Brute Force) and I’ve always wondered about Courtney’s casting and whether he was ever up for the King role (or maybe not, since Courtney’s British, not American).

John Guillermin‘s The Bridge at Remagen (1969)

Another war film starring Segal, this one is set towards the end of the war and is about fighting for control of the titular bridge. Neither side (German or American) can make up their minds whether they want to capture or destroy the structure and the other thing they share is a disconnect between the people in charge and the soldiers on the ground who are having their lives puts at risk.

Robert Vaughn and Ben Gazzara also star as Segal’s Nazi counterpart and sergeant friend, respectively. This is also the only film in this box set with bonus features.

Film historian Daniel Kremer‘s video essay on John Guillermin builds off of a very interesting observation about characters in his films who look upwards. There’s also a commentary by filmmakers/historians Steve Mitchell and Steven Jay Rubin that proves what can be gained from listening to experts who know their stuff about a subject. In this case, Mitchell and Rubin clearly know war films. Like I’ve seen my share of war films, too, but I wouldn’t know one type of tank from another or notice when a lieutenant isn’t carrying a sidearm when they should be. Listening to Mitchell and Rubin also fosters a greater appreciation for the practical effects that were used and their commentary is filled with information about the production (like why they weren’t able to finish filming in Czechoslovakia as planned).

Tales of Adventure: Collection 6 is available on region-free Blu-ray now from Imprint Films.