The Leatherneck

"The Leatherneck" is a silent film which is very good, but it also is a bit confusing if you aren't aware of the history of the time when it is set. The film begins at the end of WWI and much of the rest of the movie is set in Russia during the time period following the Revolution. While few history books talk about it, following the war, various allied nations sent troops into Russia to, ostensibly, protect their citizens during the chaos. In some cases, this really meant fighting with the White Russians against the Bolsheviks (Communists)...but the intervention didn't last long nor had any appreciable affect on the revolution. The US Marines in the film are stationed in Russia during this period...though the film doesn't make it all too clear.

When the story begins, two American Marines (William Boyd and Robert Armstrong) have made friends with a German POW (Alan Hale) and now that the war has ended, the German soldier enlists in the Marines in order to hang out with his new friends! Some time after this, Bill (Boyd) falls for a Russian woman and marries her. Her father is broke except for a potash mine he owns in the far eastern desert. A scumbag wants this mine and he orchestrates a mini revolution in order to get control of the mine. Then, after killing the wife's family, he kidnaps her! The three friends all follow the trail to rescue Bill's wife. They are indeed AWOL and could face serious consequences...so tune in to see what happens next.

This story is all told through a lengthy flashback and is enjoyable. At first, it looks like a Marine comedy, such as "What Price Glory?". But later, it becomes deadly serious and is quite the melodrama. Enjoyable and well made...but also a tad confusing and I hope my review provides a bit of context for what you see.

I saw this picture in 2005 (in an edition from, I think, Grapevine Video) and was immediately taken with its performances, pacing and story. No, it isn't going to be studied in college courses on silent cinema, but it is a first-rate drama with lots of action and a lot of heart in the performances. William Boyd, Robert Armstrong, and Alan Hale, Sr. Make a memorable trio of Marines -- Boyd and Armstrong start out in the Corps and persuade good-natured German soldier Hale that his future lay in the United States and as a member of the Marine Corps, and the three of them move into a happy existence of service and adventure in the decade following the end of the First World War. Then an ill-fated romance gets in the way, and jeopardizes the career of one of them and maybe the lives of all three. Director Howard Higgin moves Elliott Clawson's story -- basically an adventure tale shoehorned into a court martial setting -- along quickly, and the performances of all of the characters are convincing, emotionally and theatrically.

Solid little action movie that never flags thanks to its brief sub-hour running time. It's aimed squarely at the young male audience of its day, but isn't shy of throwing in the odd expressionistic moment (a memorable mass execution scene). Boyd, Hale and director Howard Higgin all worked together on the previous year's equally enjoyable Skyscraper.