Operation Pacific (1951) Reviews

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Since I grew up with this movie, I have seen it at least 30 times. This is one of the best Submarine Movies of WW-II action made. And not everyone knows this but this movie did deal with some truth. When the skipper is shot by a "Q" ship in a surface attack, he uses the command "Take Her Down" which was in actuality used by the CO of the USS Growler, after being critically wounded in action in 1942. And the torpedo trouble in the movie was also true and they did drop warheads from on high to test out various firing options. One submarine mentioned in the Movie was the Corvina, which really was a USN Sub, and she was suck by a Japanese Submarine like the movie portrays. Unlike other Sub Movies, this one has a lot of truth in it and is an excellent watch. It is made more realistic by being in black and white. Sources for the above "Sink em All" By Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, USN COMSUBPAC during WW-II

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This is a chilly saga of an American sub captain plagued by failure-prone weapons and an ocean full of Japanese to fight. They find the reason the torpedoes didn't work and put back to sea, this time, to take good care of the nasty business at hand. One scene that brings the cost of war home is that the Thunderfish loaned another sub a movie, "Washington Slept Here." Sometime later, they find wreckage of an American sub, and the movie tells them who is at the bottom of the ocean. The Thunderfish strikes back at the sub that got their friends, showing how dangerous it was out there and what courage it took to fight this war. The climax scene shows them in a Japanese-controlled harbor, with a waiting task force. They fire their new and deadly torpedoes, and radio back to Cincpac about the taskforce and its location. They run for cover, and barely survive massive retaliation: the outcome is in doubt until the last, as it was for many other submariners. A moving, poignant, and bittersweet tale that stresses the fact that nothing ever comes for free, even in war.

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This show depicts JW being handed what he least wants, to be left ashore during wartime to solve a technical problem with torpedos -something that really happened.

There is much of the standard John Wayne character in the movie -he's strong and larger than life, even when he faces a ruggedly handsome younger man who is vying for the same woman. John Wayne is, of course, the hero, and that's OK.

The best part about the movie, however, doesn't have anything to do with subs. The best part is the showdown between two nurses when one tells the other how things really are, and to quit whining about things (I paraphrase, badly).

Nevertheless, this movie is a great option for a free Saturday afternoon.

Addendum...I just read (3/2006) the non-fiction book "The Terrible Hours" by Maas, and found many similarities between Swede Momsen of that book and JW's character in this movie. While Operation Pacific doesn't do more than mention in passing that JW's character was involved in diving on a sunken sub before WWII, that and the work he does on solving the torpedo problems plaguing WWII fleet subs is enough to make the connection between JW and Swede Momsen. If you like this movie, you'll probably also like the book "The Terrible Hours."

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I bought the DVD of "Operation Pacific" over a year ago, but have only just watched it. I thought it would be just an average war film which I could watch when I had nothing better to see. However, I was quite wrong. This is definitely one of the best films of any kind that I have seen in the last couple of years. Why, I wonder, has it been forgotten (I had never heard of it until I saw it advertised on Amazon)? It is convincingly realistic, both when the submarine and its crew are at sea, and when they are having a break in port. I found some parts of the film very moving, there is no "false heroism" or cheapness about any of it, and the action when it comes is extremely exiting. Why, I wonder, do people sneer at John Wayne, or at his supposed lack of acting talent? In this film he is superb. I have seen quite a lot of his films in recent years, and I think that this may be one of his very best. The same applies, I think to Ward Bond, who is also superb in this.

Just a note: to anyone who watches this, and likes it as much as I do, make sure you also watch "They Were Expendable", also set in the Pacific in WWII, and also absolutely first rate.

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John Wayne's intrepid portrayal in this movie was taken from true life US Navy happenings that are skillfully blended for substenance for the backdrop of this story...John Wayne needs not to apoligize, either...there was...the raising of the USS Squaliss in 1939 just off the coast of Boston...there was...a US Navy rescue of Catholic Nuns and children from Guadalcanal before the 1st Marine Division's invasion of that island...there was...the sinking of the USS Corvina as noted in this film, as well as other disclosures stated by other Reviewers in here..."Operation Pacific" for whatever warts [imagined or not] is a monumental tribute to the Navy's Silent Service...I admit there were a couple of John Wayne moments, but that's to be expected, [pogey-bait time]...they didn't wrinkle my feathers one iota...I like the guy...the camera was very exquisite in the close/ups of Patricia Neal...wonderous close/ups of her adorable face in fadeout scenes...you can't tell me that these two [2] 'love/birds' maybe carried on/off screen??...Wayne and Neal generated plenty of 'steam' at those dockside scenes...look more closely...just read the know-it-all smirks [of envy] from the other male/stars at the dockside footage...that white-hot tidbit aside, a darn good Navy show and the intrinsic operation of submariner duty deep below the waves...Ward Bond was terrific, Scott Forbes made you notice his contribution, Martin Milner, as the young Ensign, came through with the impact of his declaration of sinking a Japanese submarine..."total silence on the screen"...only imprinted, what may be their lethal/fate along the way...Max Steiner's stiring music/score only adds to the heroic theme, as always...this is a well made Warner Bros' movie and a truly favorite of mine...in summation, I'm so glad we WON WW2...under the cruel sea our steadfast sailors of the US Navy's Silent Service sacrificed to preserve our heritage and the American way of life... 52 US Navy submarines were lost resulting in watery graves for 3,500 officers and enlisted men that marked the way back to Tokyo...God bless 'em all...SGGT CHRIS SARNO-USMC FMF

Review of IMAX: Fighter Pilot- Operation Red Flag (2005)

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I know this world well--flew from Nellis for 3 years against all of these aircraft, targets, and all through this airspace. Overall, I think this documentary does what they set out to do, and I think it tells a good, but overly spectacular story of Red Flag.

There is no doubt that this film is filled with CGI aircraft effects, rigged explosions, questionable flying tactics, and conversation/terminology that you just don't hear in a real training battle. I thought I would offer up the "why." Much like Top Gun, movie producers quickly learned that the "real thing" doesn't make for very engaging movie material. The real thing includes spread out formations, intense radar work, and shooting long range missiles from 30,000 feet, often without ever seeing the bandit with your own eyeballs. None of this shows too well on the big screen, so they have to "juice it up" by bringing all of the aircraft together into the same video frame, move the fight down to treetop level to convey the speed, and throw in a bunch of aileron rolls because they look cool (even though they don't make the guy behind you spit out in front of you). The CGI fills in the gaps where the AF wouldn't fly the requested maneuvers due to safety reasons.

As for the rigged explosions, there are a couple of reasons for this. The first is that the directors/producers wanted a "from the target" view of the bombs and bullets hitting, which I must say came out really cool. To film that actual aircraft's ordnance hitting the target would have meant losing their camera and the film in the course of the explosion. The other thing is that the rigged explosings can be crafted to be especially "fiery" whereas real world bombs look like gray, soot-filled explosions and don't cut the mustard for the Hollywood types.

The last thing that really varies from the real battle is the communications between pilots. To put it simply, it they were to use real terminology, only other military pilots that knew the lingo would be able to follow the action. The target audience would be totally lost. So they toss in some of the lingo, and then typically have the pilot "explain it" in english, all in the same radio call.

Does any of the above wreck the movie? Only if you're really familiar with the way it really happens. My biggest complaint is that the CGI additions to the dogfight look fake. On the other hand, they look a lot better than they did in Air Force One, which I'm sure had a lot bigger special effects budget. For whatever reason, the CG folks just haven't figured out tactical aviation yet, so I'd rather them just show me the real thing, even if it isn't quite as spectacular.

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Saw this with my husband who's a pilot, but I still learned a lot! 6 layers of forces for an all-out operation: AWACs, bombers, fighters, helicopters... forgot the other layers. Really impressed by the simulation of a search for a pilot shot down in enemy territory -they showed both sides searching for him, including the other side using a tracking dog. Secure VPNs were used to coordinate communications as well as other kinds of info tech. Some of the human interest stuff were good segues and lubricants. Testosterone-saturated though this show is, it is not at all jingoistic nor does it promote the military. It clarified how some of the military budget is spent, and is informative for people who want to know about a career as a fighter pilot.

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A lot of the reviews state poor acting, poor CGI graphics, etc. For anyone that has not seen this before, this is not a hollywood movie. This is an actual account of Operation Red Flag. No actors, no special computer animations, other than those used by the wonderful men and women of the Air Force for flight review, as demonstrated in the video. This is a true tribute to the men and women who put everything on the line so that we can whine about "poor CGI graphics" or "bad acting". This movie was designed as an insight into the main function of Nellis AFB and into the lives of USAF aviators and ground crew members for people like me who can't serve there country, but desparately want to. Enjoy the show for what it is.

Honest reviews on IMAX: Fighter Pilot- Operation Red Flag (2005)

The film is an overdramaticized, horribly acted (by real military, so I'll cut em a little slack) film that loses credibility due to visual-effects and sequential editing that are HORRENDOUS.

I never knew that when the pilot breaks left with the stick the jet spins to the right! Or that sometimes he can fly with all the instruments turned off (horrible cockpit cut scene).

Why on earth would you want to ad visual-effects (fake airplanes, fake explosions) onto an IMAX film that is supposed to bring the audience into the life and experience of a fighter pilot? It totally illegitimizes the experience.

The only part of the film I enjoyed was our hero's inital takeoff towards Nellis. Absolutely stunning view and perspective with ZERO special effects. That is what I thought IMAX films were supposed to be all about.

If you want legitimate experiences of flying, I suggest "Speed and Angels" and "Magic of Flight". Those show military aviation how they should be shown, with ZERO visual-effects that will blow you away.

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The IMAX film Fighter Pilot Operation Red Flag is a fun and educational film that takes you into the exilarating and dangerous world of today's fighter pilots through the eyes of one of the best and brightest pilots anywhere in the world. The film first introduces you to a young pilot who is going through a very personal journey to compete with some of the best fighter pilots from all around the world and take part in what has been called one of the most dangerous exercises next to going into combat at a Nevada air base where pilots show their stuff in Operation Red Flag. The film's cinematography puts the viewer right into the cockpit with the pilots to experience their world up close and personal and first hand where not everyone gets a chance to see. The documentary shows midair dogfights, a rescue to find a down pilot and bring him back from behind enemy lines and of course, the unsung heroes on the ground who without their support none of the pilots would ever get off the ground. There's everything from firefighters, to ordinance specialists, and air traffic controllers monitoring the pilot's every move while in the air. What I like most about Fighter Pilot is not just the human story behind it about a young pilot becoming part of a team and proving something to himself but also the action packed images of the firefighters and the PJ's or Pararescue jumpers whose job it is to rescue pilots in distress and bring them home alive. The fighter pilot's job is to destroy the enemy and the rescuers job is to save lives so other may live. If your a fan of Top Gun or the new film Stealth or you're just curious about considering a career in the air force as a fighter pilot then Fighter Pilot Operation Red flag is a must see and a must own for any airplane or pilot fanatic.