Commando de destruction

Intriguing wartime character studies. Outstanding characters abound. Stewart's romance with the Asian female lead is very poignant. Harry Morgan and Mike Kellin give outstanding character support - in fact the whole cast does, including a young James Best, looking hunky, well before his Dukes of Hazzard days.

Major Baldwin (Stewart) has his first command in East China when he is put in charge of a demolition squad with orders to evacuate once a base has been destroyed to prevent its capture by the advancing Japanese. Along the way he discovers the power associated with command and the abuse temptation offers along with such power. He also encounters some unexpected romance when the widow of a Chinese general in need of evacuation joins his squad.

Unfortunately, as the group never comes into contact with the Japanese and is never in serious danger, we don't feel a lot of tension. Whatever threat there is comes from the Chinese themselves, from mobs of starving peasants to bands of wayward deserting marauders.

The most interesting feature of the film deals with the difference of customs. The pomp and ceremony important to Chinese is alien to the Americans just wanting to get down to the business at hand. Looking from different points of view, each side views the other as somewhat barbarous and inhumane and as a result never quite reach the level of friendship each would have.

Although Jerome Morass provides a spirited music score, it doesn't quite fit in with the action, or rather the lack of it. With an exception or two, the events on the screen just never generate much pathos, resulting in a not so poignant anti-war film.

Stewart, as always, is worth watching, Lisa Lu has charm, and Harry Morgan gives a preview of what would become his Colonel Potter M*A*S*H* character.

Watching this film with jimmy stewart as a driven military man was interesting. I have always thought of stewart in the role in Harvey or its a wonderful life.

Stewarts characters struggle with power and his obsession to accomplish his objective was fun to watch. This film is worth the time spent and includes some great character actors of this period. I think it deserves its 6.6 overall rating.

Watching this movie develop reminded me of recent events in europe and made the film seem timely despite its age.

The Mountain Road is the story of an American Enginers destroying military stockpile ahead of a Japanese advance in late World War II. The corrupted Chinese Warlords refused to equip their men for the fight against the Japaneses and wanted to hoard so they could profit from the sale of gasoline and military supplies. One of the themes of the movie is the cultural clash between Americans and Chineses. One of the major difference between the two was the value of human life. I wish that this movie was available on DVD or VHS tape as I would like to have it for my collection. It is well worth while seeing to see one aspect of World War II in China.

This film portrays the lives of a US Army engineer squad in China during WW II. Their mission is to delay the advance of the Japanese Army. They must blow up bridges and ammo dumps along a long mountain road while dealing with a never ending line of Chinese refugees. James Stewart finds love with a beautiful Chinese widow. He must deal with his personal feelings toward a woman, a foreign people and the challenges of command. Not one of your best Jimmy Stewart movies but well worth a look.