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List Price: $12.98 | | Label: Warner Home Video
Salesrank: 20290
Released: January 31, 2006 |
| Our Price: $5.41 |
| Used Price: $5.18 |
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MPAA Rating: Unrated
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
John Wayne and Robert Montgomery star in and John Ford directs a resolute tale of World War II courage: They Were Expendable. The two stars portray PT-boat skippers who defend the Philippines and give the U.S. war effort time to regroup after the crippling losses at Pearl Harbor. Wayne takes to the skies with the Flying Leathernecks, leading embattled Marine fighter squadron VMF 247 at Guadalcanal and also campaigning to coordinate ground combat with low-flying aerial sorties. Nicholas Ray directs, mixing in actual battlefield and dogfight footage. Robert Ryan co-stars.
They Were Expendable/Flying Leathernecks Reviews:
Double Feature: They Were Expendable / Flying Leathernecks 
2009-08-31 - Two of the most entertaining war films packaged into one case. Hard to go wrong with this. The film quality is clear, no issues with sound or visual. If you enjoy war films with a good storyline, ineresting characters and well-directed/acted, then I strongly suggest this double feature package.
Double Feature John Wayne 
2009-06-17 - They Were Expendable
Shot during the closing weeks of WWII, They Were Expendable is the somewhat real life story of the American defeat in the Philippines as seen through the eyes of the men of a PT boat squadron commanded by Lt. John Bulkeley (called Brickley in the film and played by Robert Montgomery) and his second in command Lt. Robert Kelly (named Rusty Ryan played by John Wayne). The concept of PT boat warfare is a new idea to the navy and the men are given limited assignments. The movie was directed by Capt. John Ford USNR and based on a screenplay by Cmdr. Frank (Spig) Wead, USN who became the subject of another John Ford movie entitled The Wings of Eagles (1957).
There is no elaborate plot to the film, no Hollywood drama here, no special effects, no plot twisting events, just ordinary men doing an ordinary job under difficult times. It is simply the story of men trying to survive on a day to day basis in wartime. They are having to cope with the loss of their fellow crewmen and the defeat which they can sense is coming as the United States slowly retreats from the Philippine Islands. These men are meant to buy time, a delaying action, until the United States can gather its forces for all out war.
There is little or no real emphasis on combat scenes and the scenes are limited, almost as if they were unintended. The minor characters of the film (the men of the PT boat crews) are hard to follow in that their speaking parts are limited, making remembering them as individuals difficult. Donna Reed's character, Sandy an army nurse, really wasn't worth the extra scenes given to her but is more in tune with Ford's having to have a romantic character in the text of the film. The film is worth seeing, giving the viewer an incite into early days of WWII.
Flying Leathernecks
It's Marines, Marines and more Marines in this action adventure of WWII. John Wayne and Robert Ryan star as the commander and executive officer of VFM 247 fighter squadron assigned to fight it out on the island of Guadalcanal with close air support for ground troops, but Wayne and Ryan are constantly at odds as to how to manage this group of young college aviators. The movie resembles the story of Pappy Boyington and the Black Sheep squadron, VMF 214, but with more antagonism and less humor. There is plenty of action in this movie and lots of authentic combat footage.
Wayne and Ryan are not at their best in this movie for they simply do not fit the profile of typical Marine officers and the story line tends to drag. If you like action movies with plenty of combat, then this movie will please you. If you are looking for more of a story about historical events then this film may disappoint but its worth a one time see. Overall the film is average and not John Wayne at his best.
DVD's
2009-04-08 - I always get fast service from Amazon. The package always arrives before the date they said. The one time it didn't was because the postperson had delivered it to the wrong address. Not Amazon's fault. The one time my package was damaged Amazon sent me a new one. I asked if they wanted the damaged one back and they said 'no.'
John Wayne does it right on the sea and in the air
2007-08-31 - "They Were Expendable" is a true story about the first real action of PT boats in the second world war, as it occurred in the Phillipines in the early months of 1942. "The Fleet the Gods Forgot" by Winslow includes an account of Torpedo Boat Squadron 3 which closely matches the movie, and includes additional accounts of heroic action by the men who served in the squadron.
"Flying Leathernecks" is an incredible piece of history, showing F6F Hellcat fighters and F4U Corsair fighters in air operations in the Pacific and on Essex class aircraft carriers. If you enjoy seeing these historic ships and planes in real color, you should also consider "Dive Bomber" with Fred McMurray which shows air operations in 1941 on the USS Enterprise (CV-5).
These are great movies for any 2nd world war history buff.
PT BOAT CREWS 
2007-08-23 - Great epic of our fathers fight for our freedom.
We should all appreciate this vanishing breed of Americans.
Semper-Fi
USMC 1966-1973
