Sangre en la playa

No amount of charisma from Audie Murphy was ever going to be able to rescue this from obscurity. Determined to emulate other stars of his era and move away from the declining Western genre with which he had some success, he takes on the role as American civilian "Benson" who works with the local Filipino population following the Japanese invasion of the islands during WWII. It's not really up to much, this film - a sort of rose-tinted look at the aftermath of the occupation that really focusses more on his determination to find "Ruth" (Dolores Michaels) rather than for any more laudable cause - he ends up helping because of her, rather than for any principle. It's strangely flat and un-engaging; there is some action but for the most part it rumbles along for 80 minutes with an inevitability about it that is quite dull and entirely predictable with a star far from his best.

This movie gets beaten up on quite a bit by critics, so my expectations were as low as they could be before watching...perhaps that is why I was so surprised to find some nice moments in this film.

There is no question that this could never be considered a war classic, but to dismiss it outright simply by its reputation, or ones pre-conceived notions, is to do oneself a disservice. For being a low budget movie, there was some nice location shooting, quality set design, decent special effects (for the time), and good quality stock footage. There is some poor editing here and there, and a few technical goofs in the film, but, that aside, I must say that I found the direction to be quite good, overall, for a drive-in movie...and the score was nicely done, as well.

With only one or two exceptions, the cast was very competent, with Audie Murphy and Gary Crosby doing a nice job, as well as a few enjoyable performances supporting them. The plot had great potential, but the script was poorly written and we didn't get to spend enough time with the people we are supposed to care about. Dolores Michaels is gorgeous, so we can understand why Audie Murphy and Alejandro Rey would both be attracted to her, but she has no real chemistry with either man, so it is hard to get swept up in the love triangle. The characters are written to be very one-dimensional, so the plot points and drama never get a chance to make an impact.

The feeling I got at the end of watching this film was that all of the elements were there for a good movie, but it just missed. That being said, I give it a 5 out of 10 for the enjoyment of watching Audie Murphy, as well as a few nice acting and directorial moments. Prepare yourself for a 1960s drive-in movie level of quality, and you will find moments to enjoy throughout.

During His 2-Decade Career as an Actor, Following His Heroism in WWII (most decorated including MOH),

the Good-Looking, Baby-Faced Audie Murphy, seemed to be Straight From the "Matinee Idol" Manual at "Hollywood Central Casting".

What's Not to Like? A Match Made in Heaven! A War-Hero, with Killer Good-Looks, Plenty of Charisma, Fresh?, from the Battlefield, Ready to Follow a New Path of Civillain Life in America that was a Fertile Growing Ground for the Citizens that Served Their Country Honorably.

Well, PTSD was a Neglected "Stigma" that Hurt a Lot of Soldier's Dreams and "Paths"...

"Murph", was Not Shielded from the Post-War Adjustments that Many found Challenging.

Dealing with a Little Researched Phenomena (once called "Battle-Shock" or "Battle-Fatigue) and the "Mental-Health" Resources was Still a "Work In Progress", to Say the Least.

So there was that...The Recurring "Nightmares" that Resulted in a .45 Under the Pillow, a Gambling Addiction Along with Poor Money-Management, a "Hair-Trigger" Violent Temper, and a "Lost-Soul" Demeanor were some of the Coping in Store for the Returning Vet on His Road to Full-Fill the"American-Dream.

In the 50's He Enjoyed Many Successes Making Movies.

His Films were Patronized and Enjoyed by Movie-Goers, but Usually Not with Critics, were Always Money-Makers with Good to Excellent Box-Office.

Most of His Movies, though Not All, were Rightfully Called "B-Movies", the Majority were Westerns with a "Sprinkle" of Other Genres in the Mix.

Audie Murphy was Understandably Reluctant to "Star"in and Avoided Making "War" Movies,

although His Auto-Biography "To Hell and Back" (1955), where "Murph" Played Himself was a Critical and Fan Favorite.

The Talented and Under-Rated Actor Only Made 2 Other "War-Movies", this is 1, although He does Play a Civilian Contractor.

He is Supplying Guns and Ammo, and Other Aid to the Philippines and Their Fight Against the "Jap-Invaders".

He is Also Searching for His Estranged Wife (Gloria Michaels) that He Hasn't Seen Since the Honeymoon. He Finds Her on One of the Islands.

Thinking He was Dead (after 2 Years) She is Now "In-Love" with a "Freedom Fighter" (Gary Crosby, Son of Bing). Unfortunately, a Second "Battle" has Been Engaged.

It Won't be as Bloody as the One on the Beach, but Just as Volatile and Important to the Story. Directed by Herbert Coleman, Known for "Associate Producer" Roles, Notably with Hitchcock,

the Much-Maligned Script was Written by Richard Maibaum who went to Fame and Fortune Penning James Bond Movies.

This is Low on the "Audie Murphy Filmography Scale" that No-One has Anything Good to Say About. It's Not Bad, It's just Not that Good.

The Romantic Triangle is Awkward. Where the Movie Succeeds is Giving a Voice to the Philippine People,

and the Bloody Beach Battle Delivers the Goods, with an Off-Beat Death of Murphy's Friend and Resistant-Leader, Alejandro Rey.

Despite the Hatred of the Many...

Worth a Watch.

I am very surprised that Audie Murphy agreed to star in "Battle at Bloody Beach", as he had a very bad case of PTSD after fighting in WWII. Sure, he earned more medals than any other American in the war, but he also paid a huge price...and his PTSD was so bad it contributed to his first marriage dissolving. So, in light of his mental illness, it's not 100% surprising that he had a few other troubles in life...including many financial ones. It was so bad that after a while, he went from making relatively high budgeted films (mostly westerns) to making cheaper and cheaper movies. "Battle at Bloody Beach" is certainly one of the cheaper ones.

A few signs this is a very cheap movie is that instead of filming it in the Philippines, they chose nearby Catalina Island...just a short distance from Hollywood. Another is that the women in the movie all sport 1961 hair (particularly the lead) and they made little attempt to make it look like a period piece. Additionally, Murphy is given little in the way of support...with mostly unknowns and Gary Crosby, who, at the time, wasn't exactly a star.

The story is set around late 1943-sometime in 1944. Craig Benson (Murphy) is on a mission where he is going island to island recruiting the locals for the insurgency against the Japanese. At the same time, and a VERY weak part of the film, is that he's also looking for his wife who got separated from him at Manila at the beginning of the war. And, naturally, he finds her here...which seems pretty ridiculous. But there are problems...and the mission ends with a bloody battle on the beach...hence the film's title.

I agree with the one review that describe this as a stiff and talky picture--it is. I think a bit more action might have helped and less of the love story as well. Still, it's not a terrible low budget film...just one that's easy to skip.

By the way, two bad things that stood out where the scene was when one of the insurgents yells out "NO!! Blanco ends here" as he pretty much throws away his life instead of getting on the boat with everyone else. The other, and I'm surprised that Murphy didn't complain about this, is that they are fighting the Japanese with Browning Automatic Rifles...a sort of rifle/submachine gun hybrid. It could fire, at most, 20 rounds...but here you never see anyone reloading and they are firing it on full automatic most of the time instead of in single-shot mode. I'm not a big expert on guns but have fired the BAR and know the film didn't seem to care if it was being used realistically or not. Of course, perhaps Murphy DID say something but the director simply didn't care. Who knows?

I was at the premiere of this movie in San Diego. And yes, it was a pretty awful movie. In fact, I can not remember any thing about the movie. So why am I writing this review? Because I knew Audie Murphy, and was on the location set while filming aboard the submarine. Audie was not in the best frame of mind during this movie, often looking depressed. Even the camera man was concerned. But when called to do his scenes, Audie did his best. As for the movie itself, I can only guess it is best forgotten, because I am certain Audie never included it in his best performances. I don't think it is on DVD, and probably never will be. The battle at bloody beach was also part of the battle going on in Murphy's head.