Compare this to "They were Expendable"

Rating: 10/10 (6 April 2004)

Until I saw "Private Ryan" I thought the best film about World War II was John Ford and Robert Montgomery's "They were Expendable". Now I can say that "Private Ryan" is to the European War what "Expendable" was to the Pacific War. They both convey a common message: that sometimes war must be fought, that we not shrink from what needs to be done, that we never forget the sacrifice and, most importantly, that we make ourselves worthy of that sacrifice.
World War II wasn't just something that happened. It was Armageddon, in which the future of the world was at stake. And that's no exaggeration. Those who died in the endeavor gave us the right outcome are, to me, true martyrs, not to religion or patriotism but to humanity itself. I think this is what both Expendable and Private Ryan are reminding us, by dramatizing the message, not preaching it.
Despite the advances in film-making technology that make "Saving Private Ryan" a more intense experience than "They were Expendable," both are magnificent films which compliment each other. Both have been given splendid DVD transfers, and it is fascinating to watch them back-to-back to compare how similar events are portrayed in the idioms of two different eras. Spielberg has the advantage of being in an era without the constraints, both technical and political, suffered by Ford. Unlike Ford, Spielberg is free to add, "And lest we forget  to bring home the meaning of sacrifice  here's an unvarnished look at what really happened to those who didn't come back."