Tank Battalion

This movie begins with a single American tank participating in combat and suffering from gear problems. As a result the crew of four is ordered to return to base for repairs. When they get back the story evolves into a romantic drama with two of the soldiers involved with two nurses while a third soldier falls in love with a local bar girl. It's at this point that the movie proceeds at an extremely slow pace and doesn't really pick up until the last 15 or 20 minutes. However, rather than reveal any more and risk spoiling the film for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this was a relatively cheap and poorly made Korean War movie which doesn't really offer much in entertainment value. It does, however, have Edward G. Robinson Jr. (as "Corporal Corbet"), Frank Gorshin ("PFC Skids Madigan"), Leslie Parrish ("Lieutenant Alice Brent") and Barbara Luna ("Nikko") for those who might be interested in any of these particular actors. But other than that there honestly isn't much to recommend and I rate this film as below average.

Some American International Pictures films were pretty good, but good or bad (and often bad) the movies all have one thing in common...incredibly low budgets. So, when I saw they made a movie set during the Korean War I assumed it would be made on the cheap...with stock footage, no-name actors and the like. While a couple of the actors is a 'namer', at the time Frank Gorshin and BarBra Luna were pretty much unknown. Another familiar name but NOT familiar face is Edward G. Robinson Jr....and I had no idea that the famous actor's son was also an actor, though he only made about a half dozen movies.

The story is about a group of men who man a tank. Additionally, they spend a LOT of their time chasing women and talking...lots and lots of talking.

So is this any good? No. It's pretty much what I expected...with a poor use of stock footage, bad dialog and acting that is just okay. It also features an M-41 Walker Bulldog tank that in one scene turns into a Sherman tank! Yes, the editing was that bad. Overall, a cheap and bad film. It's sad because a Korean War film CAN be made on the cheap and still be excellent...such as with "The Steel Helmet" by Samuel Fuller.

By the way, early in the film after a damaged tank limps back to the base, you see a sergeant kissing a nurse who is a lieutenant...right in front of another officer. Well, a sergeant is an enlisted man and is NOT allowed to kiss or have any sort of relationship with any officer...and the lieutenant is an officer. It was observed by a captain...and later he said he didn't like the fraternization...when he COULD have had both parties arrested or put on report. I cannot imagine the rule not existing in this war and such a relationship is definitely forbidden and subject to punishment for both parties. I'm not a military expert but recognized this and then double-checked to be sure it was a mistake...which it was. And, since this was a major plot element...it sure didn't help the film any.

This movie is just plain stupid. Really not worth the time.

This must be one of the worst "war" movies ever made. There are only about a dozen cast members. Most of the war scenes are stock footage. They did spring for the rental of a tank, though. There isn't much of a story, and what there is of it makes little sense. The depiction of the Koreans, both the good guys and the bad guys, is insulting. The special effects don't come close to recreating what it's like inside a tank. However, it's only 80 minutes long, and there are a couple of famous names in the cast (Frank Gorshin and Edward G. Robinson, Jr.). It's a hoot to watch.

I don't know why I was so generous with my vote, except that anything lower would have had to be a home movie. This "movie" was produced by Viscount Pictures and distributed by those Masters of Movie Magic at AIP. It supposedly takes place during the Korean War, but there is no story to speak of other than some vague plan to launch "Phase Two" of some other vague plan. There are a few names you might recognize, like Frank Gorshin, Barbara Luna, and Leslie Parrish, but it mostly stars a collection of less than stellar performers. The headliner, believe it or not, is Edward G Robinson Jr. I'm sure they included the G to make sure the audience would make the connection. The set consists of a sort of an arc of shacks and tents all connected together by fences or shrubs. Kind of like the backdrop for a high school play. The compound in the center is about the size of a large play room - just big enough for a couple of jeeps. If you added up all the principal players and the extras, you couldn't put together a game of touch football. There seemed to be no reason to make this movie. As far as I could tell, it was mostly a lot of snappy dialog interspersed with stock combat footage. They did find time to create a little romance with a couple of handy nurses and Korean comfort woman. They even managed to squeeze in a little skinny dipping. Thank goodness we were saved from that wiggle and jiggle with a sneak attack by the North Koreans. There is this unforgettable scene inside the tank. You don't have to be a tanker to know that the inside of a tank is tangle of mechanical stuff. Cables, vents, dials, controls, guns, optical devices, ammo racks, etc. Aside from a view finder and gun stock, this one was practically empty. I swear it had cardboard walls. More than anything else, it reminded me of the cockpit scene in Plan 9 From Outer Space. The only thing missing was the shower curtain. I'd like to say see it for the laughs, but it wasn't funny.